On Wednesday morning, January 29, a Cooperation Protocol was signed in the Noble Hall of the Town Hall between the Municipality of Figueira da Foz, ISEC – Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra (Higher Institute of Engineering of Coimbra), the Figueira Mar School Group, and ACIFF – Figueira da Foz Commercial and Industrial Association, which will create, starting in September, three post-work courses for Higher Professional Technicians (CTeSP), namely: Electromechanical Maintenance; Robotic Automation and Industrial Maintenance, and Computer Systems Programming Techniques, to be taught at the Dr. Bernardino Machado Secondary School.
This agreement arose from the identification of the need to train senior professional technicians to respond primarily to the demand for human resources by companies based in the Figueira da Foz area of influence, and to enhance cooperation between the four institutions, as well as the promotion of events organized by each of the parties.
The mayor, Carlos Monteiro, referred to the signing of the agreement as a landmark moment for Figueira da Foz and stressed that the city and the municipality are the right place for this type of training.
“We have created an opportunity to return to higher education, and this is an efficient protocol, adapted to today's needs,” emphasized Carlos Monteiro, who also pointed out that it will allow young people to obtain more and better qualifications, provided by an institution, ISEC, “that gives us the best guarantees.”
The mayor gave his assurance that the local authority will do everything possible to ensure that the courses are enrolled and run: “We have an obligation to tell our young people that these courses exist,” he emphasized.
The president of ISEC, Mário Velindro, expressed his satisfaction with the implementation of this project, “the first of many that lie ahead,” which has all the ingredients to be a success. “With the collaboration of all partners, these courses will be successful and students will sign up,” he said.
The director of AEFM, Pedro Mota Curto, expressed his satisfaction with the signing of the protocol, which meets the needs of companies in the municipality, which are increasingly looking to educational establishments for specialized technical staff at an intermediate level.
“We seek to adapt our offering to the needs of companies,” said Pedro Mota Curto, who also emphasized the fact that the Bernardino Machado School is one of the few in the country where 50% of students attend vocational courses, one of the goals set by the European Union for education in 2020.
ACIFF President Nuno Lopes praised the importance of the protocol, which he considered to contribute to filling the gap that exists in middle management, as well as to keeping young people working in Figueira da Foz, equipping them with better knowledge.
Nuno Lopes took the opportunity to challenge companies to make themselves known to students, either by visiting schools or by encouraging students to visit their facilities.
Source: Municipality of Figueira da Foz