Defense Minister Helena Carreiras defended this Monday that this area of sovereignty should “do its part” in improving the country’s professional qualifications, underlining the importance of promoting the employability of those joining the armed forces .
“The National Defense is no exception, and can and must also play its part in improving the educational and vocational qualifications of the Portuguese population,” the official defended.
Helena Carreiras spoke at the opening of the seminar “Qualifications in Defense and Society: Building Synergies and Creating the Future” organized by the Directorate General of National Defense Resources with the support of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense, taking place today and Tuesday and brings together military and civilian entities in the National Defense Institute (IDN) in Lisbon.
“We know very well that military service is not just a job. In Portugal, as in other countries, what attracts young people are the unique features of the institution and its activities. But it is also a job, which offers broad training and professional areas,” he insisted.
Helena Carreiras emphasized that the way forward is “the promotion of growing and continuous adaptation to the requirements of the national qualifications system”.
“In the military component of National Defense, this involves adding value to the current model of military service, promoting the qualification and deployability of those who choose to join the armed forces, and meeting the expectations of those who are already in the ranks”, he stressed.
For those joining the armed forces now, he continued, “it presupposes offering a job alongside a truly professional path, aimed at raising qualifications” and facilitating the transition to the labor market after completing military service.
“In addition, for those already in the ranks, it involves working towards the near-term implementation of measures such as the Army and Air Force Permanent Staff, which in turn will provide career advancement mechanisms in this category” , he underlined.
Helena Carreiras gave priority to valuing “each person, which, in addition to the quality of their contribution to the institution, also allows them to shape themselves as an element that promotes the economic fabric and social cohesion of the country “.
The Minister emphasized that “effective valorization also entails greater responsibility on the part of the various institutions, military and civilian, in promoting the acquisition of new competencies leading to greater organizational effectiveness and efficiency and greater development of Defense human resources “.
Helena Carreiras stressed the need to “anticipate future scenarios”, which may include the development of “new skills, competences and qualifications in areas such as space or cyberspace”.
For the government it is important that there is “interoperability between armed forces, protection and security services, civilian entities; between recruitment, training and reintegration processes; and between training and certification systems, whether sectoral, national or international”.
“The future competitiveness of the Armed Forces will be achieved through the connection between these different Armed Forces, processes and systems, in parallel with salary updates and the advancement of careers being worked on within the Government that we hope will have a positive impact.” impact for civilians and soldiers of the National Defense,” he underlined.
In July, Helena Carreiras was sworn into the follow-up committee for the Action Plan for the Professionalization of the Military Service – a strategy adopted in 2019 that provides for measures related to the recruitment, retention and reintegration of military personnel in the armed forces.
This committee, coordinated by former Secretary of State for Defense Ana Santos Pinto, aims to reassess the measures of this plan and set the end of October as the initial deadline for presenting conclusions, but more time was requested and “until the end of the year”. the minister says wait for results.
The conclusion of the seminar, on Tuesday, is for Secretary of State for Defense, Marco Capitão Ferreira.
Source: DN
