Around 400,000 people will benefit from these measures. Training and management of human resources Training structures are being strengthened and improved, with priority given to a national system of assessment and certification for training courses and the training of trainers. An employment observatory tracks the specific needs of the labour market. The long-term unemployed will benefit from improved training, and employment aids will be made available to the disabled. Guidance and information services will be provided to specific vulnerable groups such as drug addicts, ex-offenders and ethnic minorities.
Funding is also focused on training specialised personnel and the use of new technology.
Around 130,000 people will be able to take advantage of these measures. A major priority for Portugal is to make the economy more competitive, through structural adjustment, modernisation and diversification. Rural and local development is fostered through the promotion of local employment initiatives, specifically in the handicraft sector, and aid to development associations and agents. ESF support for regional programmes is focused on the Azores and Madeira, where investment is planned in education to modernise teaching and training infrastructures. Training of trainers and the provision of continuous training on the islands concentrates on the agriculture, industry, fisheries, tourism and commerce sector.