The initiative by the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training is part of the recently launched Integrar program. The objective, as the name suggests, is to improve the conditions for the integration of immigrants in Portugal.
The Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP) stores are now equipped with a translation tool to help them serve immigrants. It is not Google Translate, but rather an application developed by IEFP itself. So far, this system includes around 15 different languages, including local variants.
In addition to accessibility and inclusion, among the advantages listed by Domingos Lopes, president of the IEFP Board of Directors, is the reduction in service time and the accuracy of information, minimizing misunderstandings and communication errors.
According to Domingos Lopes, this difficulty was evident, for example, in regions such as Odemira, where there is a large concentration of immigrants who do not speak Portuguese or English. It was in that area that the tool, created “from scratch”, especially for this purpose, began to be tested. “We are proud because it is the first service we know of, public or private, for citizen service, that has this possibility, this tool”, the director told DN.
In the position since 2022, Domingos Lopes is a technology enthusiast. The administration has been marked by investment in technological tools that facilitate work. One of them is videoconferencing, available to all users. The new feature was recently launched and is operational. “It makes things much easier for people who travel from far away or even for those who cannot spend money on a trip to receive in-person assistance,” he highlights.
The translation tool is part of the Integrar program, launched about a month ago by the Government. As the name suggests, it is a set of initiatives that aim to improve the integration of immigrants living in Portugal. The project includes strengthening the Portuguese as a Host Language (PLA) program, monitoring selection processes and helping in the search for recognition of school qualifications. According to Domingos Lopes, the actions are being developed by the IEFP. “It is an important way of also meeting the great demand we have for qualified and technical labor, which is very important to the country,” says the president of the institute.
Citizenship classes
Another measure provided for in the program is a type of citizenship classes for immigrants, focused on the rights and duties of each individual. “There are concepts that we take for granted in our Western societies, which are not common in other communities”, he explains to DN.
The complete methodology is still being developed. The Portuguese as a Host Language (PLA) method is being studied. The town of São Teotónio, in Alentejo, is one of the places where the initiative is being tested, and a structure has been set up to teach Portuguese with the aim of also using it for citizenship training. According to Domingos Lopes, one of the challenges will be to have the training after work hours. “We are fully aware that these people come here to work, more than to do training. They have one job, sometimes two or three. Therefore, we need to be flexible in order to provide these training courses, which are useful to them. We are the ones who have to adjust our schedules and locations”, he stresses.