Government officials participated in the ceremonies as part of the “Governo Mais Próximo” programme.

The country’s first nursery remodelled and developed within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) was inaugurated in Albufeira last Wednesday.

The works carried out at the “Tempos de Infância” nursery in Guia, whose contract was granted for € 423,753.87 (including VAT), received € 255,240 from the PRR. The remaining amount was funded by the Municipality of Albufeira.

The work involved physically connecting the “Tempos de Infância” nursery school to the multipurpose building located to the north, increasing the capacity of the equipment from 42 to 60 children, 18 more than foreseen in the initial project.

The remodelling and expansion project of the existing rooms was also an opportunity to adapt the building to the current legislation, creating the required conditions for people with conditioned mobility.

Patrícia Seromenho of the SCMA – the entity responsible for managing the nursery – underlined, “Today, history is being made. This is a true example of the smooth functioning of the Government’s delegation of powers to municipalities and the rapprochement of municipalities to the social sector. Trust, respect and mutual work allowed us to get here.

She went on to thank the Municipality, SCMA, Parish Council of Guia and the Minister for “unlocking the process for this work to become a reality”.

The inauguration, as part of the “Governo Mais Próximo” (Closer Government) programme, was attended by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, the Secretary of State for Inclusion, Ana Sofia Antunes and the Minister of State and the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva.

Also present were the councillors of the Municipality, the president of the Parish Council of Guia, Dinis Nascimento, a representative of the Parish Council of Albufeira and Olhos de Água, military entities, various elements of the SCMA, the director of the Social Security District Centre of Faro, Margarida Flores and the president of the Regional Secretariat of Misericórdias of Faro, Armindo Vicente, among others.

The Mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, stressed the current difficulties municipalities face to carry out such works, namely “price fluctuations due to inflation, shortage of stocks and the lack of human resources”.

Rolo praised the government officials’ interest in the area, insisting that meetings should not only happen when such situations arise and that the Government should familiarise itself with the real problems the municipalities and their people face. “To govern is to dialogue”, he insisted.

Ana Mendes Godinho considered that nurseries, such as the one inaugurated, constitute a “demographic challenge”. She believes they are a “factor for attracting and retaining people in Portugal, enabling children to be educated in “free nurseries”, offering “an equal start in life for all”, enabling women to join the labour market.

“Today is an unforgettable day for us all. The team performed miracles and focused on results, which shows that nothing is impossible and that barriers can be overcome to make things happen”.

From Guia, the delegation headed to Ferreiras, where a Lending Contract was signed between the Municipality and the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP). The contract was signed in view of inaugurating the facilities of the “Centro Qualifica” in Albufeira on the Av. 12 of July, where it will operate until the works of the new IEFP Training Centre, funded by the PRR, are completed.

The new centre will be located next to the current headquarters of the Ferreiras Parish Council.

Júlia Tomáz, vice-president of the Board of Directors of the IEFP, stressed that “without the City Council, we would not have the quality we have in terms of qualification and skill recognition in the region. Two or three years from now, it will be easier for us to respond to our partners’ demand”.

For her part, Ana Mendes Godinho said that “in any part of the world, success is people”, and therefore, “the Qualifica Centre is a new opportunity in life”, in the sense that it “ensures it is always time to invest in ourselves and society”.

Turning to a group of unemployed women currently investing in their skills, the minister stressed that “workers valued for their knowledge must be better paid” and that in the future, wages and jobs “will not depend on the families you are born into, but on your skills”.

Albufeira’s Mayor, José Carlos Rolo, praised the training centre’s potential and addressed businesspeople, telling them to instruct themselves on “the training that takes place and the quality of the workers here” when human resources are in shortage in various sectors.

Challenging the IEFP, the Mayor said, “communication must flow with companies, in the hope that the new centre will respond to a [employment] problem in our region. Entrepreneurs must be aware of these realities”.