Some notes on Portuguese/Azorean history and geography. The Portuguese Educational System and Vocational Education.
In 1095, D. Afonso Henriques, our
first king, builds a small county, with the Pope’s blessing, to fight the Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1139, our country becomes independent from the King of Leão and Castela. In 49, the country’s borders are more or less the same as the present ones.
ď‚— Due to its geographical location, the Azores soon
gained a tremendous importance on the trading routes that spread out from Europe to the whole world. ď‚— This role in the first world economy has influenced a lot our gastronomy, mainly in the use of different spices.
Portuguese is spoken in 5 continents (Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania) There are two times more Portuguese speakers in Oceania that there is population in Luxembourg. (20% of Luxembourg is Portuguese) The second city with more Portuguese natives is Paris. We invented the maritime compass, the breech cannon, the pre-fabrication of buildings in stone, the prepaid cards for mobile phones, the ATM, the salted cod and many more‌ We were the only country in Europe that did not burn Templars. Ambassador Sousa Mendes saved more Jews than Oscar Schindler. We discovered half of the world along with the Spaniards, and we got the best part, Brasil.
•According to the 2001 Portuguese Census our total population was 10 356 117, mainly located in the northern coast line of the country.
Total population: 250 000 -Madeira: 245 500 -Porto Santo: 4 500
Total population: 241 763
•Santa Maria: 5 578 •São Miguel: 131 609 •Terceira: 55 833 •Graciosa: 4 780 •São Jorge: 9 674 •Pico: 14 806 •Faial: 15 063 •Flores: 3 995 •Corvo: 425
The Portuguese Educational System is structured in four levels Pre-school - not compulsory and for children from the age of 2 to 5 Comprehensive school- organized in three cycles 1st Cycle - 4 years of schooling 2nd Cycle - 2 years of schooling 3rd Cycle - 3 years of schooling Secondary - 3 years of schooling Higher Education Children start school at the age of six years of age Minimum schooling of 12 years - leaving at 18 years old
The majority of schools involved in vocational education and/or training are private and are funded by the Portuguese government or by the European Union. Escola Profissional da Ilha de S達o Jorge is not an exception. It belongs to a non profitable association which aims to participate in the economic and cultural development of the island.
Our school was founded in 1997, and, therefore, is one of the oldest vocational schools in the Azores. Currently we have around 200 students, in different programs, such as: civil construction, mechanics, accounting, tourism, cooking and pastry, renewable energies, agriculture, and so on‌ This wide array of programs is based on the work market needs and most of our students have no problems in finding jobs once they graduate.
Vocational Education in Portugal depends mainly on the Ministry of Education and on the Ministry of Labour. Training hours take place in enterprises according to each specific program.