Purpose

The central preoccupation of the Alentejo Foundation, according to its statutes and the tradition it has inherited, is the qualification of human resources.

The notion that the development of the region depends, in great measure, on the qualification of its population, is one the guiding points of its action.

Nevertheless, its action in the scope of the regional area is not expended. “Training for the Alentejo and in the Alentejo”, does not preclude being aware of the country as a whole as well as other dimensions, particularly the cross-border and European ones.

Thus, in order to achieve its statutory purposes, three working areas were established.

EPRAL - Professional Vocational School of the Alentejo Region, an institution geared towards vocation training with more than 20 years experience in the beginning level qualification of young people.

The Alentejo Foundation College aims to meet high standards in the area of pre-school and primary school level education, grounded in an innovative methodology and in educational practices of excellence, with a strong bond to the needs felt by families.

Aware of the need to boost Lifelong Learning and promote the training offers directed to the adult population, where the national levels are well below the European average, the Foundation also bets on this working area.

Three offers steered towards different needs and public, but which are arranged in order to meet the challenge of reaching quality levels in the education that our country needs and deserves.

EPRAL - Professional Vocational School of the Alentejo Region

Considered an “exemplary educational establishment” by the OECD in 2000, for the quality, diversity and innovation of its areas, EPRAL which is owned by the Alentejo Foundation, saw its effort recognized in the area of innovative and quality vocational training.

The design of a new way of teaching and learning, the care for the modern state of the art equipment, a stable and competent teaching staff and a careful interaction with the entrepreneurial sector, allows for average employment levels reaching more than 70% of students, during the last years

With two branches functioning, in Estremoz and Évora, it offers quality training, guided to meet the needs of the job market, without neglecting the continuation of upper level studies of its students, who make up 20% of the school´s trainees.

More than 20 years after its founding, and with more than 4000 graduates, the Professional Vocational School of the Alentejo Region is a hallmark in the Portuguese Vocational Training Educational system.

More information at www. epral.pt

Alentejo Foundation College

The Alentejo Foundation College started its activity in September 2011 falls under the vision that the Foundation deems about what the qualification of human resources should be as well as the relevance of innovative quality offers in this area. We emphasize the mission and the vision that the Alentejo Foundation College assumes as its purport:

“To develop an Educational Project in the region invested of new practices in the relationship of the School with the Community and which may serve the process of raising the educational and vocational qualifications of the human resources, in response to the needs of personal qualification and growth, prompted by the process of sustainable regional growth and by the challenges of globalization of the culture and the learning society”.

“To consolidate an integrated educational response, based on an innovative Educational Project, of regional and national reference, strongly bound to the regional reality and guided toward the challenges posed by competitiveness and the knowledge society”.

More informtion at http://www.colegio.fundacao-alentejo.pt .

Qualification and Training of Adults – Lifelong Learning

The development and growth of this area of intervention of the Foundation corresponds to the diagnosis performed, from which it allows us to infer the need to urge a change in the entrepreneurial area of the region, thus promoting a sustained and sustainable growth.

The Alentejo Foundation hereby assumes a set of objectives in this area oriented to the region, but grounded on the national strategy defined for this target group:

• - • Co-operate toward the generalization of basic schooling for all the population and for an effective literacy for all its active citizens;
  
• - Contribute to the growth of equality of opportunities in the areas of schooling and training for all active citizens;
  
• - Promote with all the active citizens, an increasing attitude and personal commitment comprising a strategy of lifelong training;

Access the site “Certified Modular Training Areas” at:
www.fundacao-alentejo.pt/fmc