A study released today by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos (FFMS) examines the impact of the expansion of professional courses in Portugal on employment and entrepreneurship.
In 2000, only 28% of secondary school students were enrolled in some form of professional course. However, following a significant increase in the availability of such courses starting in 2006—with more than four thousand courses introduced between 2009 and 2019—the percentage of students enrolled surged, reaching a peak of 45% in the 2013/2014 academic year.
Some positive effects of this expansion are well documented: secondary school completion rates have increased, inactivity rates are lower among those with professional qualifications, the transition to the labor market is faster, and salaries are higher compared to graduates of general education.
In the newly released study, researchers from the Centro de Economia da Educação at Nova SBE sought to determine if the expansion of professional education translated into higher employability specifically in the professional areas corresponding to the courses and in the locality of the school where they were introduced.
The results are positive “but relatively small,” explained researcher Pedro Martins during the study’s presentation to the media.
Looking specifically at the municipalities where the schools are located, the introduction of a professional course led, on average, to an increase of 0.14 workers in the specific profession of the course two years after completion, and 0.17 workers after three years.
At the regional level, the figures are slightly higher (1.5 more workers two years after course completion), suggesting that students often end up relocating to neighboring municipalities to seek employment, though the overall impact remains low.
Luís Catela Nunes, another researcher, notes that these courses are designed to facilitate transition to the labor market, and national data shows that this objective is met, as 72% of professional education graduates find employment within one to two years.
The problem, however, is that most graduates only manage to secure work in other professional areas or outside the region where they studied, prompting researchers to warn of a mismatch between educational offerings and job placements.
“There seems to be untapped potential in aligning education with the job market,” suggested Pedro Martins, acknowledging the issue’s complexity and noting that defining educational offerings requires extensive information and the capacity for vocational schools to adapt.
To address the issue, the authors stress the importance of maintaining a balance and flexibility in programs, such as by combining essential academic skills with technical training and regularly updating curriculum content.
Similarly, Luís Catela Nunes mentions the need to enhance regional coordination, considering that students often do not remain in the municipality where they studied, necessitating greater regional alignment in course planning.
The authors also recommend strengthening partnerships with companies in defining curricula and providing workplace training.
Beyond employability impact, the authors also questioned whether the introduction of new courses was associated with the creation of businesses within the same economic sector.
In the case of new companies, the impact becomes more noticeable a few years after course completion: after four years, there is an increase of 0.67 in the municipality and 4.12 in the region.
The impact of new courses on the creation of new self-employed businesses is slightly lower (0.33 after four years in the municipality and 2.91 in the region), but still exceeds the impact on employability.
When asked about the difference, Pedro Martins stated that one of the strengths of professional courses is providing entrepreneurship-oriented skills, and some young people already attend these schools with that predisposition.
However, the authors point out the lack of available information to measure the quality of professional education, which should be evaluated relative to the job market.
Additionally, they emphasize the need to improve the public image of professional education.
“If we provide more information related to employment contributions and salaries, the existing stigma could be countered,” suggests Pedro Martins.
