Brazilian federal government’s Soldier Citizen project should train over 18.6 thousand members of the armed forces in the second half of this year.
The objective of the program is to offer vocational training to recruits and individuals who are completing their military service, in order for them to enjoy greater opportunities upon their return to civilian status.
The project provided vocational training to 11.2 thousand members of the Army and the Navy in the first half of this year. The plan for the second semester is to train another 16.6 thousand members of the Army and two thousand from the Air Force.
The director of the Ministry of Defense’s Department of Mobilization, Luiz Henrique Moura Barreto, underscored the social significance of the project.
“An average of 1.6 million men turn 18 every year in Brazil. The armed forces receive 100 thousand of these youths, or 6% of the total, and around 30 thousand of them participate in the Soldier Citizen project each year,” the general remarked.
“We are offering courses that prepare them for various careers, and they are finding jobs. That is important,” he added.
The federal government officially launched the Soldier Citizen project in August, 2004, after a prior experience conducted by the Army.
The courses are administered in conjunction with entities such as the Senai (National Industrial Apprenticeship Service), the Senac (National Commercial Apprenticeship Service), the Sebrae (Brazil Small and Medium Business Assistance Enterprise), and private firms.
The vocational training fields include construction, graphic arts, and information science.
ABr – www.radiobras.gov.br