Apprenticeship in Angola

The ESTP is administered through the Ministério da Educação and includes Formação Profissional Básica after primary education, Formação Média-Técnica after the first cycle of secondary education, and complementary programmes after general secondary education. Basic programmes usually last three years, medium technical programmes four years, and complementary programmes one to two years. Short courses normally last no more than 500 hours. Adult and evening formats can use an adapted duration. The SNFP is coordinated through MAPTSS and INEFOP and offers initial and continuing professional training in public, private, public-private and cooperative institutions. Training can take place in person, in blended or distance formats, or through mobile and itinerant provision. Its levels 1 to 5 correspond to QNQ levels 2 to 6, and modular courses can allow credits to accumulate or transfer. Access depends on the level: requirements range from primary education or lower schooling to a secondary qualification or an earlier professional level. The general minimum age is 14, although some courses set higher age limits. Training fields follow competency-based qualifications in the CNQP and the occupational families and productive sectors listed by INQ. Available courses, places, starting dates and provincial coverage vary by provider and time. INEFOP reports a network that includes vocational training centres, CINFOTEC centres, mobile centres, Pavilhões de Artes e Ofícios and rural schools, but current figures should be checked before enrolment. Learning combines general, scientific, technical and practical elements. In Formação Média-Técnica, the final year includes 20 hours per week of supervised practice, followed by a technical examination or a Prova de Aptidão Profissional with a practical product, report and jury. Basic and medium technical programmes generally provide double certification: a school qualification and a professional qualification at a QNQ level. Complementary programmes provide a professional level, while short courses usually provide a participation or completion certificate and only exceptionally a formal qualification level. A Contrato de Aprendizagem is a separate written employment contract for a 14- to 17-year-old apprentice. It states the occupation, duration, place, remuneration and any food or accommodation arrangements, and involves the legal representative. Copies must be sent within five days to the Inspecção Geral do Trabalho and the responsible Centro de Emprego. The employer provides progressive occupational training, safe tasks, time for school attendance and a final certificate; the apprentice must follow instructions and make full use of the training. Minimum remuneration is 30%, 50% and 75% of the occupational wage rate in the first, second and third year respectively. This contract should not automatically be applied to every state-sponsored training programme. An Estágio Profissional is different from an apprenticeship contract because it does not create an employment relationship. It requires a written agreement and individual plan, follows working-time, rest and occupational-safety rules, and ends with a certificate. It normally lasts three or six months; a three-month placement with a stipend can be extended once for another three months. Recognition of prior learning through RVCC can certify skills gained through work, training, family, community and other experience, making it a possible option for adults and career changers. Foreign professional qualifications can be assessed through professional equivalence. Providers must hold the required licence, and courses that award qualifications require accreditation. Costs, fees, places, transport, accommodation and start dates depend on the provider; Angola has no single national fee schedule or general entitlement established in the available research. Funding can come from the state, companies and national or international resources, while FUNEA publishes financing initiatives and training subsidies for some six-month courses. The national strategy plans further expansion of ESTP and SNFP, stronger company links, inclusion and digital formats, but its 2037 figures are targets rather than achieved results.