(ANS - Poiares) - The Salesians of Poiares have this year launched a new professional course, adding to their existing programme of professional training. It is aimed at young people who, in the courseof their education, have experienced  difficulty in their studies and have had two or more failures. The young people who attendare somewhat reluctant at the beginning, but gradually they become enthusiastic about this course designed specifically for them.

The Salesian at Poiares, in the middle of the Douro Vinhateiro region,have been offering vocational training for the past nine years and it is very much appreciated. Professional training is deemed crucial on account of the variety of students and the difficulties that some of them experience when they are faced with formal theoretical education in large classes.

The original courseof Education and Training (equivalent to 9th year) wasthe first of its kind. Later the programme was extended also to courses in Apprenticeship (equivalent to 12th year), in collaboration with the Institute of Education and Vocational Training.

The needs of the region are related to wine production, catering and the tourism industry. Taking advantage of the existing Salesian resources - namely the existence of a three-hectare vineyard, a restaurant, workshops for electricians and a multimedia studio - the main coursesof vocational training have focused on viticulture, catering, electricity, hotel management and, more recently, the media.

The main advantageof this type of training is the fact that they focus on teaching the most professional practices, as well as offering experience in real work contexts. This contributes significantly to the formation and preparation for life of young people who do not show great interest in traditional courses of study. The statistics are encouraging: most of the students either end up working in the place where they had their work experience or decide to continue their studies at a higher level.

The advancement of poorer young people is made possible by professional courses like these, which constitute a successful response to the needs of many young people.

Published  21/07/2014