According to the Regional Secretary for Employment, Maria João Carreiro, as quoted in a press release, this involves certified modular training courses of short and medium duration for private-sector workers.

Following a meeting with the newly elected board of AEPA – the Association of Professional Schools of the Azores – it was revealed that public and private professional schools, certified training entities, the Azores Qualification Centre, and private employers in the region can apply for this measure.

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is a European Union fund budgeted at €142.7 billion and covers the period 2021-2027.

Maria João Carreiro stated that the aim of the certified modular training programs is to "promote qualification opportunities for workers, in order to meet the training needs of the labour market and deepen the professional skills of adults."

The Regional Secretariat wants to promote "better adaptation to technological and organisational changes, as well as strengthen employability."

Maria João Carreiro considers the ESF+ (European Social Fund+) to be "a structuring element of the regional policy for the qualification and requalification of adults, with a direct impact on employability, professional retraining, and lifelong learning."

The Minister for Employment appealed for the "active mobilisation of vocational schools and other eligible entities" within the framework of support whose funding is non-refundable.

During the meeting with the representative associations of vocational schools, other issues concerning vocational education and training in the region were also addressed, within a framework of “growth in the number of students and the strategic affirmation of this educational pathway for the employability of young people and adults and for the productivity of companies”.

Maria João Carreiro reiterated the Azores Government's interest in maintaining a “close, dialogical and cooperative governance” with vocational schools, which has resulted in public policies and financial instruments that converge towards the common goal of “dignifying, valuing and modernising vocational education in the Azores”.