The Municipality of Odemira and the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja) signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to developing the necessary conditions for the operation of higher education courses in the municipality.
The agreement aims to provide, in the next academic year of 2022/2023, Professional Higher Technical Courses (TeSP) of Sport and Management of Social Organizations and a postgraduate degree in Sustainable Tourism.
The protocol was signed within the scope of the official inauguration of FACECO – Cultural and Economic Activities Fairs of the Municipality of Odemira.
For Helder Guerreiro, Mayor, this initiative represents “what is a perspective of the future in the territory. We really want to have IPBeja in Odemira and, that is why, we will do everything to, somehow, correspond to what are the expectations of our young people, creating higher education offers here to build a path of knowledge production in our territory. An applied knowledge that, somehow, serve businesses and the economic and social development of our territory”.
To Maria de Fatima Carvalho, President of the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, this partnership “It is of the utmost importance” and represents “the realization of proximity education”, stressing the importance of “bringing teaching to where the students are”, in their homelands”.
Isabel Ferreira, Secretary of State for Regional Development, that accompanied the moment of signing the protocol, underlined that “Qualification is crucial for any regional development strategy and the Polytechnics have done an unsurpassed job in what is closer to the territories”.
The training offer results from the preferences identified by young people through a survey promoted by the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, in conjunction with the Municipality of Odemira. In a first phase, the courses will be taught at Escola Secundária Dr.. Manuel Candeias Gonçalves, in Odemira.
