Poster Portugal

Professionality of adult and continuing education staff in Portugal

                                                                                                                                            Institution: University of Minho, Portugal

Contact: Paula Guimaraes

The search for an identity

Although adult and continuing education staff is not recognised as a professional category due to the fact there aren’t laws or formal organisations, trade unions nor professional associations dealing specifically with adult and continuing education staff matters, at the moment there are more professionals working in this field in Portugal than ever before. These can be trainers, teachers, staff involved in the recognition, validation and certification of competencies developed throughout life, mediators, consultants, monitors, tutors, assessors, etc. working in training and education services of large and medium enterprises, State departments as well as organisations of the third sector.

For those professionals involved in projects and initiatives supported by European Union or State funded programmes there are formal rules or specific legislation concerning qualifications, profile and even tasks that have to be achieved.

The request of legal recognition of this staff as well as the decision upon specific qualifications and a profile has been made in many occasions to the Ministry of Education and to other institutions.

 Diversity in training provision and professional development

Even if there is no initial or continuing training path for adult and continuing education staff, many professionals have attended higher education degrees. Apart from teachers that possess a specific qualification obtained at higher education institutions, many others have attended graduation and post-graduation courses.

There are also several organisations (State funded, private or from the third sector) that promote non-formal education initiatives for adult and continuing education staff (initial and/or continuing training), the Unit for Adult Education of the University of Minho, among others. These organisations have been responsible for innovations in staff training that however are not always considered by European Union and State departments in charge for qualifications and profile of professionals involved in public funded programmes.

Though many adult and continuing education staff having knowledge and competencies in a specific work field did only accomplished compulsory education (9^th grade) or secondary education (12^th grade).

To be involved in initiatives supported by the European Union and national funded programmes for education and training, adult and continuing education staff need to have:

- a Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude, obtained after the attendance of a Pedagogic Training for Trainers Course (90 hours of training in several fields, like Pedagogy in Training, Structuring and Planning a Training Initiative, Assessment and Evaluation, Certification, Didactical Materials, etc.) certified by the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training which can be valid for a maximum of 5 years. Therefore to keep the ability for being involved in education and training initiatives, apart from this Certificate staff has to attend courses of Continuing Pedagogical Training of Trainers or to prove effective involvement in vocational training initiatives (Decree Law n.º 26/97, June 18; Specific Law n.º1119/97, November 5).

- and the Teaching Aptitude, which is obtained by those who attended formal teachers training and/or training in specific fields of knowledge in higher education institutions (Specific Law n.º 254/2007, March 9; Dispatch n.º 9493/2004, May 14,  Dispatch n.º 15150/2004, July 13 and the request of the European Computer Driving Licence for trainers involved in Communication and Information Technologies contents and disciplines ) .

 The emergent debate on professionalism: trends and challenges

Even if there is no organised statistical data on adult and continuing education staff dealing with general adult education initiatives, liberal adult education, education and training for adults or vocational training, among others, there is a growing interest on professionalism of adult and continuing education staff.

This emergent debate has stressed the heterogeneity of existing professions as well as the dependence upon European Union and State policies and programmes for definition and structuration of qualification, profiles and tasks. This fact implies the precariousness of work and of working conditions.

The national Programme New Opportunities (Iniciativa Novas Oportunidades) aimed at certifying (both school and professional certification) a significant percentage of the Portuguese population up until 2010 within adult and training education policies is becoming a pressure on independence and autonomy of adult and continuing education staff.

The divide between the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training dependant on the Ministry of Welfare and Work and the departments of Ministry of Education dealing with adult education and training is another relevant issue under discussion. The existence of separate State departments in terms of policies and education/training and pedagogic approaches allows the existence of different initial and continuing training paths, professionals’ qualifications, profiles and even fields of practice. In spite of recent efforts to develop combined and coordinated initiatives between the two referred State departments, there is still a long way to go in what adult and continuing education staff matters are concerned.

For more information on the subject:

Rothes, Luís Areal (2003). A Formação de Educadores de Adultos em Portugal: trajectos e tendências. Forum, 34, Jul.-Dec., pp. 35-62.

http://portal.iefp.pt

http://www.inofor.pt

http://www.novasoportunidades.gov.pt