Knowledge is the gateway to a new Portugal
Our purpose is clear
Preparing for a fast-paced world
As a society, we struggle to keep up with profound technological and economic changes. In a world where people and knowledge are the most treasured assets, we all risk falling behind if we don't adapt what and how we learn. Against this backdrop of great challenges and urgency, Fundação José Neves was born to bring about change to all those who want to tap into the opportunities of the future.
Building a knowledge society
We are on a mission to promote lifelong learning as a vital part of our future as a society. We believe that by permanently updating what we know and how we learn we can prepare for the rapid changes faced by society, the global economy and the labor market. We are increasingly aware of the need for a new approach and different perspectives. Ready to explore new solutions?
Promoting human potential
Our ambition, outlined by our Founder, is to raise Portugal's position in international Human Development rankings over the next two decades. We believe the best way to achieve this is by providing the Portuguese with a better future through Education. By creating tools that broaden the access to new skills we are paving the way for leadership in a digital, fast-paced tomorrow.
A future where everyone can learn with passion and have equal access to opportunities
Our purpose
Our ambition is to help elevate Portugal to the top of the global Human Development Ranking within the next 20 years.
Portugal is currently ranked 40th in the United Nations’ Human Development Index, a ranking led by Norway, Switzerland and Ireland.
The latest Human Development Report, published in 2019, was of special relevance to us and a stepping stone for the work to come. This sweeping analysis warned of the emergence of a new generation of inequality – one that separates those who can embrace the digital future from those who don't have the right set of tools or education to do so. It also highlighted the role that education and technology would play in tackling these profound changes in society.
There was a time when completing a college degree and having access to an internet connection would suffice and allow some leve of financial stability. Those days have passed and today, the United Nations Development Program reinforces the need to anticipate the key factors that will influence human development in the coming decades.
We believe Education to be the main driver for a society with higher degrees of citizenship, social equality and development.
And these are the areas where we will continue to focus our efforts.
We believe in the power of opportunity. We stand for an universal education, and lifelong learning as a Human right
Education is the path to elevate Human potential. In light of this, we've made it one of our main priorities to widen the access to an Education that can deliver high employment rates.
The latest OECD's PISA results (Programme for International Student Assessment) have shown that economic difficulties continue to stifle the results of Portuguese students. Compounding on this, the report also indicates that a high percentage of university students give up on studying due to financial difficulties. In 2017, 41% of all college students who dropped out did so because they simply couldn’t afford to keep studying.
The Survey on the Socio-Economic Conditions of Higher Education Students in Portugal also revealed that 58% of students experiencing economic difficulties didn’t qualify for grants or other forms of governmental support. These few indicators explain why we need to invest in solutions that facilitate access to Education and ensure that no one will be prevented from learning, regardless of their financial situation.
We believe that by removing barriers, financial or otherwise, and making education moreflexible, result-oriented, and accessible, we are taking a necessary first stepto prepare more employable students. We are not alone in our mission: with the supportof leading partners in different fields, new tools are being made available to everyone,as part of our effort to redefine Education in Portugal.
At least 600,000 new jobs are expected to be created by 2030 ...
Four out of five children starting school today will have jobs that are yet to be created.
These projections confirm the pace at which the world economy and the labor market are changing. Technology and innovation constantly redesign the way organizations expand their activities, creating new job opportunities and automating not only routine tasks, but also those with high added value. The World Economic Forum estimates that 40% of the skills that are most valuable to employers today will be replaced in the near future. Those living and working in Portugal will take part in this transformation.
The study "The Future of Work in Portugal: the Requalification Imperative", curated by the Nova School of Business & Economics in partnership with CIP, estimates that 50% of the time we currently spend working could already be automated with existing technology.
This figure is expected to achieve 67% by 2030.
At the same time, at least 600.000 new jobs will be created by 2030 as populations age, technology becomes more widely available and new energy sources reach maturity, to name a few of the most disruptive trends coming everyone’s way. Performing these new tasks will require new skills. _ Following suit, we have made a strong commitment to help the transition of the 4-million strong Portuguese workforce through Reskills that will make handling the changes brought on by the coming years less stressful to those willing to learn.
We believe that Reskilling and Upskilling are relevant drivers of productivity, and that by investing in them we are actually making a very direct contribution to the development of Portugal, taking it one step closer to becoming a nation where knowledge is the most valuable asset.
This process implies the commitment of education providers as well as private organizations, and an openness to adapt the content and ways of teaching in view of the changing requirements of the future. We are active contributors, by identifying and enhancing the skills necessary to perform the jobs of the future, and by helping those willing to learn, no matter their age or financial situation. We will continue to make tools available that allow all citizens to make informed educational decisions, based on facts. It is our strong belief and hope that this will lead to a brighter, more employable and financially successful future.
We are on a mission to transform Portugal into a Knowledge Nation and place it at the very top of the UN's Human Development ranking. To achieve this goal, we are going beyond widening the access to Education and making the necessary arrangements so that everyone can identify and acquire new skills.
We envision a new Portugal where lifelong education is the new social norm.
We believe that only by permanently updating ourselves will we be able to prepare for the rapid changes facing the world. Only then can we take advantage of new opportunities and new jobs.
According to the study “State of Education 2018”, by the National Education Council, in 2018 only 10.3% of all Portuguese adults completed any form of training. A figure below the European average (11.1%) and much lower than report by leading countries in Human Development raking: Sweden (29.2%) and Denmark (23.5%), whose work force has grown accustomed to lifelong learning initiatives.
Along with our partners, we strive to create incentives, policies and tools that will imprint the importance of lifelong learning in companies, students and workers, at all levels of experience, skill or hierarchy.
This is a concern shared by the International Labor Organization (ILO). In early 2019, the Future of Work report identified 10 recommendations for governments looking to protect workers in the face of future challenges.
In this set of recommendations, the ILO stressed the importance of the universal right to lifelong learning, as a path to enable all workers to improve their skills and ease the transition into the uncertainties of the future.
In these times of rapid change, credible and reliable information is critical when educational decisions hang in the balance.
Through our open platform, we have made a strong commitment to curate data that will allow you to make quick, unbiased decisions regarding your future.
Recent studies indicate that access to information on skills and jobs is an area where Portuguese trail behind their European counterparts. The OECD's PISA study entitled “Dream Jobs: Career aspirations and the future of work among teenagers” stated that, when time comes to choose an University degree, more than 58% of young men enroll in courses that revolve around similar fields of study. Amongst young women, this percentage drops slightly to 54%.
For the OECD, this concentration of choices, which is increasing, is a symptom of lacking professional guidance and information on the labor market.
We find it essential to ensure access to reliable data on salaries, skills and jobs as a way to an education with high employment rates, capable of dealing with rapid changes.
Transforming Portugal into a Knowledge Nation is an ambitious project that requires strong commitment, combined efforts and shared contributions from a wide range of institutions.
For this purpose, the José Neves Foundation cultivates an evolving network of partnerships with public and private entities, operating in the fields of education, innovation and technology.
Together, we are better equipped to anticipate and prepare for the needs of tomorrow.
