Brazil to open 1.5 million slots in vocational schools by 2023

The Ministry of Education is to offer another 1.5 million slots in vocational and technological education in Brazil by 2023. The move comes as part of a program dubbed Novos Caminhos (“new ways”), launched Tuesday (Oct 8). The initiative brings the current 1.9 million chairs to 3.4 million countrywide—an 80 percent surge.

Education Minister Abraham Weintraub said the goal is to bring an end to the prejudice against vocational courses and to improve training. “A vocational course makes it possible for young people to have an income higher than those pursuing a university degree with not so much focus on reality.”

The new slots will be offered to high school students as well as young people and adults not enrolled in any school. The idea is to bring courses in line with the demand with the Brazil’s labor market. “Education must not turn its back to and ignore the demands of the productive sector,” said Ariosto Antunes Culau, secretary for Professional and Technological Education.

Teacher’s training

Brazil also plans to offer training to 40 thousand public school teachers by 2022 including technological updates, teaching skills, entrepreneurship, and career advice. Twenty-one thousand openings will also be available for the training of science and mathematics teachers.

The ministry also announced the creation of five innovation centers at federal institutes aimed at entrepreneurship and applied research.

International landscape

The country’s vocational education opportunities, the ministry reported, is far from those in other nations. Whereas vocational  courses reaches eight percent of high school enrollments, this percentage stands at 63 percent in the UK, 48 percent in the European Union, and 31 percent in Chile.