Portugal
Santo António’s cluster of schools, the object of this case study, was identified as an educational territory of priority intervention, in 2010, thereafter becoming a beneficiary from the Educational Territory of Priority Intervention (TEIP) Program. To meet those students’ school educational needs, within a TEIP project, four axes of action are mandatory to be designed. This case study will focus on the actions that led the school to obtain two awards: 1. the National Public Administration Innovation Award (INA) and 2. the School Network Program for Intercultural Education (REEI).
The main problems identified are early school dropout; school failure and absenteeism among students from all school cycles. The target group comprises of students from kindergarten to secondary school from the specific context – rural environment. The José Saramago group of schools signed a contract within the programme of Educational Territory of Priority Intervention with the government, advocating to better the educational service provided by the school to the students.
PROMOTING INCLUSION AND VALUING VET COURSES
Ferreira Dias Secondary School has 40% of its secondary students enrolled in vocational courses that confer dual certification and, despite its tradition and experience in technical education dating back to the mid-twentieth century, faces several problems that require a solution. Thus, to tackle these problems, Ferreira Dias Secondary School has developed two intervention projects of its own: one for the promotion and facilitation of the integration of the migrant population and the other for the enhancement of vocational courses, which will be first implemented for a year, but foreseen to be deepen in the following years.
CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
EDUGEP Curriculum Enrichment is a complete service for Educational Communities. Its project of organizing Curriculum Enrichment Activities is based on a professional organization that responds to the schools' needs, carried out by highly qualified professionals. EDUGEP develops Curriculum Enrichment Activities in schools articulating that service with management school boards and parent associations. It is a project that aims to complement the curriculum in schools with sports activities, art or languages, identified by the school management and are directed for the primary school students.
LEARNING COURSES TO IMPROVE EMPLOYABILITY AND TO ENHANCE SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL INCLUSION
A Learning course enables obtaining a school and professional certification (level 4). It is intended for applicants still under 25 years old, having the 9th grade completed, but without secondary education. The Learning courses allow obtaining a school and professional certification, favouring their insertion in the work market, enhanced by a strong training component carried out in a real context of work, but also allowing higher-level studies.The Learning courses follow the principle of DUAL training, combining theoretical and practical training with practical training periods in real work context within partner companies.
MODULAR TRAINING FOR THE UNEMPLOYED WITHOUT UPPER-SECONDARY QUALIFICATION
EDUGEP started, in November 2018, a project that aims to develop a set of actions that promotes the inclusion of publics that are longer limited to the labour market and that are holders of low qualifications, which are undergoing demotivation and loss of skills that make it difficult to participate in working life and self-integration into employment measures for the unemployed, in particular in sustained professional qualification processes, enhancing a more famous and sustained return to the labour market.