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Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC)
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Home > Education and Training > News > 1st European e-Skills Week: Activities Sponsored by UMIC

1st European e-Skills Week: Activities Sponsored by UMIC

 - 05/03/2010

Logotipo da European e-Skills Week1-5 March 2010 was a week chosen as the 1st e-Skills Week by the European Commission to carry out awareness-raising activities to promote the importance of developing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) skills. This initiative was launched by the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission and involved around 20 countries. Three key messages were proposed for this Week: The contribution of ICT to employability, the attractiveness of ICT careers, and the role of ICT in business competitiveness.

The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), as the entity encharged with the mission to coordinate policies for the information society and mobilize it by carrying out dissemination activities, and promoting qualifications and research, took part in this initiative by promoting awareness-raising activities concerning the Higher Education ICT Academies in various parts of the country.

The ICT Academies in Higher Education seek to provide vocational training in ICT as well as the corresponding internationally recognized certification, along with universities and polytechnics, based on training programmes prepared by companies of international significance. The ICT Academies in Higher Education initiative was launched by UMIC and has been implemented through agreements with the companies involved. So far, UMIC has signed protocols with the following companies: Microsoft (November 30, 2007), Cisco Systems Inc. (May 9, 2008), Sun Microsystems (May 18, 2009) and SAP (September 14, 2009). Activities currently in progress include two new companies joining these academies through signing protocols with UMIC.

The planned awareness-raising activities planned by the ICT Academies in Higher Education have been organized by UMIC in partnership with the companies mentioned, and will take the form of open meetings for dissemination and awareness-raising in institutions of Higher Education, aimed at students, teachers and other interested parties. Until now the following 17 sessions in six Higher Educational Institutions have been planned, and are located in Faro, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Évora and Santarém (this list will be updated regularly):

  • 8 March: School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém – Cisco Systems, 10:00;
  • 9 March: School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém – SAS and LPI, 14:30;
  • 10 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria – SAP, 18:00;
  • 11 March: Institute of Economics and Management/UTL – SAP, 19:00;
  • 13 March: School of Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém – SAS, 11:00;
  • 15 March: School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém – Microsoft, 11:00;
  • 15 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre – LPI, 10:30;
  • 15 March: Institute of Economics and Management/UTL – SAS, 18:00;
  • 16 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre – SAP, 11:00;
  • 17 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre – Microsoft, 16:00;
  • 17 March: University of the Algarve, Gambelas Campus – SAP, 15:00;
  • 17 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria – LPI, 18:00;
  • 18 March: School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre – SAS, 10:30;
  • 23 March: Institute of Economics and Management /UTL – Microsoft, 16:00;
  • 23 March: University of Évora – LPI, 14:30;
  • 24 March: University of Évora – SAP, 15:00;
  • 26 March: University of the Algarve, Penha Campus – Cisco, 14:00.

It is also opportune at this time to note the new reality concerning ICT Skills in Portugal with current vocational training taking place in Courses of Specialised Technology (CET) in Universities and Polytechnics now involving more than 60 operational ICT courses with more than 2 200 students. Successfully passing these Level 4 post-secondary vocational training courses leads to a Technological Specialisation Diploma (DET), which in turn provides access to a Professional Aptitude Certificate issued under the National Professional Certification System. At present these courses are available in 18 different parts of the country, in 28 Institutions, involving 44 courses in Polytechnics and the others in Universities. Of these, 89% are carried out in public educational institutions and 11% in private and cooperative educational institutions. The range of CET ICT courses offered by higher educational institutions has greatly increased in recent years, with there having been around 30 registered CET courses in 2005, in 11 parts of the country in 16 institutions, with not all of those actually up and running.

The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) has been offering the public activities as part of the 1st European e-Skills Week for the week which began on 1 March (see 1st European e-Skills Week ), and has added one more key message : promoting basic ICT skills as an instrument for fighting e-exclusion, consolidating citizenship and promoting social cohesion in the context of the Information Society. As such, and in conjunction with the Internet Spaces Network (site in Portuguese), UMIC is from 1 to 13 March 2010 promoting around 120 activities related to ICT Skills in various parts of the country, in a number of the 1 170 existing Internet Spaces, including the awarding of Basic Skills Diplomas in IT (DCB). The full list of scheduled activities can be viewed at news regarding the 1st European e-Skills Week published on the Internet Spaces Network Portal (text in Portuguese).

Last updated ( 22/07/2011 )