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EU Member States

Portugal

Apprenticeships and vocational education and training (VET) in Portugal: 1 apprenticeship scheme · 64 VET policies (17 on apprenticeship) · 74 indicators with data · 25 open datasets.

Apprenticeship schemes

Portugal has 1 mainstream apprenticeship scheme in Cedefop's European database on apprenticeship schemes.

Apprenticeship programmes

Cursos de aprendizagem

Run by the public employment service (IEFP): young people earn a double (school + vocational) certification through centre-based learning and in-company training, supported by allowances.

Education level
Upper secondary (EQF 4)
Duration
3 000–4 000 hours
Time at the workplace
Under half — ~37% of total duration in-company
Apprentice compensation
Allowance
Pay (as stated)
Social support indexed to IAS (EUR 537.13 in 2026), state-funded
Apprentices
10 819 learners (2025/26)
Qualification
Double certification: upper secondary + EQF 4 vocational qualification

Source: Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's coded answers (filters and the comparison matrix) are imported directly from the 2026 fiches. The short descriptions (overview, duration, learners, pay) were condensed by hand and checked against the fiche text on 2026-10-01. The official fiches remain authoritative.

Key figures

Latest value for Portugal on the main measures of vocational education and work-based learning, with the EU-27 figure for the same year where one is published. Select an indicator for its map, ranking, trend and downloads.

IndicatorPortugalEU-27Year
Recent VET graduates who had work-based learningEurostat · tps0021580.9%66.0%2025
IVET students as % of all upper secondary studentsCedefop · KIVET 101037.0%49.4%2024
Employment rate of recent VET graduatesEurostat · edat_lfse_2475.2%80.1%2025
Employment premium for recent IVET graduates (over general stream) (%)Cedefop · KIVET 2090a5.1%13.3%2025
Employment rate of adults with vocational vs general upper-secondary qualifications (OECD)Vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education; From 25 to 64 yearsOECD88.8%—2025
Enterprises employing initial-VET participantsEurostat · trng_cvt_34s18.3% of enterprises32.4% of enterprises2020
IVET learners who benefitted from a learning mobility abroad (%)Cedefop · KIVET 10263.6%2.2% dV2021
Erasmus+ VET mobility projectsEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · ErasmusPlus_KA1271 projects6,890 projects2025
Early leavers from education and training (%)Cedefop · KIVET 30106.1%9.1%2025
NEET rate for 15-29 year-olds (%)Cedefop · KIVET 30308.0%11.0%2025

Sources: Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0). Totals only (default breakdown). Letters after a value are the publisher's flags; hover for their meaning.

More indicators

64 further indicators have data for Portugal, each with a map, ranking, trend and downloads.

Show 64 indicators

Recent apprenticeship policies

Cedefop and ReferNet track 64 VET policies in Portugal since 2015, of which 17 concern apprenticeship or work-based learning. The most recently reported:

  1. Apprenticeship programmesRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
  2. Professional programmesPractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  3. High professional technical programmesPractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  4. VET agreementStrategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
  5. Qualification for internationalisation programmePractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  6. UPskill – digital skills and jobs programmePractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  7. Youth + DigitalPractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  8. Second opportunity programmePractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)

Source: Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) (CC-BY-4.0).

Open datasets

25 open datasets on apprenticeship and VET from Portugal are listed on Europe's open-data portals.

Source: data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API) (EC-reuse). Each dataset keeps its own licence.

Sources and licences

Apprenticeship schemes
Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's legal notice: reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated. Fiches also credit national ReferNet experts. Read 2026-10-01.
Key figures
Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0).
Policies
Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update). CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update): Research dataset [Data set].
Open datasets
data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API). Catalogue metadata: European Commission reuse notice (Decision 2011/833/EU). Each dataset keeps its own licence, shown per entry.
Last updated
2026-10-01

Apprentix republishes these figures and records; the publishers' own versions remain authoritative. See Data & sources for reuse conditions.

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