NRP Portugal

Thestructuresthatmakeupthesystemare:(i)theNationalQualificationAgency 6 ,whichassumesacentralroleinthemanagementoftheNewOpportunitiesCentresnetwork, in preparing, and updating the CNQ, in planning and rationalising thetraining supply and disclosure of information and in providing guidance in terms ofqualificationsandemployment,thusassumingacentralroleinthepursuitofthegoalsandfulfilmentofthetargetssetintheNewOpportunitiesInitiative;(ii)theNationalCouncilforVocationalTraining 7 ,responsiblefortheevaluationandglobalapprovaloftheelementsincludedintheCNQ;(iii)theLocalAdvisoryCouncilsforQualification 8 ,whichpermanentlyidentifytheCNQupdatingneedsandcooperatewithANQ;(iv)theNew Opportunities Centres; (v) the Basic and Secondary Education Establishments;(vi) the Direct Management and Protocol Vocational Training and RehabilitationCentres; (vi) the Poles of Excellence that are created from training operators thatdistinguishthemselvesforthequalityoftheirtraininginterventions,namelyfromthevocational training protocol centres; as well as (vii) other entities with certifiedtrainingstructures.Within the scope of this system, the following are formed: (a) the CNQ, a strategicmanagementinstrumentofqualificationsnotatthehigherlevel,whichintegratesskillbasedqualificationsaccordingtoadualcertificationlogic,identifyingtherespectivetrainingskillsreferentialandthequalificationlevelforeachoneinarticulationwiththe National Qualifications Framework (QNQ); (b) the individual skills booklet,mentioned in CNQ, which is an instrument that registers all life long skills that theindividual acquires or develops, as well as all the remaining training programmesconcluded,otherthanthosethatgaverisetotherecordedskills;and(c)theQNQ,aninstrument that structures the qualification levels in accordance with the EuropeanQualificationsFrameworkforlifelonglearning.Stillinitsfinalstagesofapproval,afternational public consultation 9 , the draft for the decree‐law regulates the System fortheRegulationofAccesstotheProfessions,aswellasthedifferentdraftsofdecreesthat,resultingfromtheNationalQualificationsSystem,regulateQNQ,themodelofthe individual skills booklet and its recording process, the vocational trainingcertificate, the guidance towards qualification and employment and, also, thecertificationoftrainingentities.The quality of the SNQ is one of the main objectives in the different elementsconstituting it, namely through the certification of the training entities and thequalificationofthetrainersandothertrainingtechnicians.6TheNationalQualificationAgency,establishedin2007,isundertheMinistryofLabourandSolidarityandtheMinistryofEducation.ItscreationstrengthensthecoordinationandexecutionoftheeducationalandtrainingpoliciesinPortugal.7Oftripartitecomposition.8 The local advisory councils for qualification integrate, amongst other, specialists appointed by the Ministry for therespectiveactivitysector,tradeunionsandemployersassociationsrepresentativeofthecorrespondingactivitysectors,referencecompanies,trainingentitieswithgreaterlocalorregionalspecialisationandindependentexperts;theyshouldnotexceed10members.9 Cf.BoletimdoTrabalhoedoEmpregono.5–Leaflet,of9August2007.9