Portugal: Professional Trainings’ support measure

04 / 10 / 2017

It has been published in the Portuguese Official Gazette the Ordinance no. 131/2017, of April 7th, which regulates the creation of the “Estágios Profissionais” (professional traineeships) measure consisting on the support to the labor market integration of youngsters or to the professional retraining of the unemployed people, as long as certain legal requirements are met.

The following unemployed people registered at the Instituto do Emprego e da Formação Profissional, I. P. (Employment and Professional Training Institute) are eligible:

a) Youngsters between 18 and 30 years old who have completed levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 of the Quadro Nacional de Qualificações (National Qualification Board);

b) People between 30 and 45 years old, unemployed for more than 12 months and who have completed in the last 3 years levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 of the Quadro Nacional de Qualificações (National Qualification Board) or level 2 if registered at "Centro Qualifica";

c) People more than 45 years old, unemployed for more than 12 months and who have completed levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 of the Quadro Nacional de Qualificações (National Qualification Board) or level 2 if registered at “Centro Qualifica”;

d) Disabled people;

e) Member of single-parent family;

f) Whose spouse or non-marital partner is also a registered unemployed at the Instituto do Emprego e da Formação Profissional, I. P. (Employment and Professional Training Institute);

g) Domestic violence victim;

h) Refugee;

i) Ex-prisoner or people who have been convicted to non-custodial judicial measure in conditions of integrating in working life;

j) Drug addict in recovery.

The Qualification levels go from Level 1 (Second stage of basic education) to Level 8 (PhD).

The duration of the traineeship will be of 9 months and might be extended to 12 months when referring to specific target groups of this Measure.

The trainee is entitled to the following benefits (to be borne by the traineeship organizer):

a) Monthly grant between € 421,32 and € 737,31, depending on his qualification level (amounts for 2017);

b) Meal or meal allowance;

c) Transport or transport allowance;

d) Working accidents insurance.

The Instituto do Emprego e da Formação Profissional, I. P. (Employment and Professional Training Institute) might support the traineeship organizer costs with the monthly grant (between 65% and 95%, depending on each specific case) as well as in the other abovementioned benefits.

It is also foreseen a prize in case of conversion of the traineeships celebrated under this Ordinance, after its termination, into an open-ended employment contract. This prize may be from two monthly basis-salaries up to of € 2.106,60 (in 2017). In some special cases, such prize might be increased in 30%.

The opening and closing of the application period to this Measure shall be announced by the Instituto do Emprego e da Formação Profissional, I. P. (Employment and Professional Training Institute).