Brazil-Arab News Agency

São Paulo – The National Service of Industrial Education (Senai) should take its teaching methodology to Morocco. The institution, turned to professional technical training, maintained by the Brazilian industry, should show teachers in Morocco how to grant professional training to people with special needs. The executive manager for Foreign Relations at the Senai, Frederico Lamego, explains that the initiative is part of the proposal for South-South cooperation of the federal government of Brazil.

Representatives of the Senai have already travelled to the country twice, last year and this year, and Lamego believes that cooperation should be in progress up to late this year. In the missions to Morocco, according to the executive manager, the demand in the professional training area was evaluated and the need for training for students with special needs was identified.

Senai developed its own method to teach people with special needs, like the blind, dumb, deaf and people with disabilities. "This is due to a need for employability, as the law of Brazil establishes quotas for the employment of people with special needs," explained Lamego. Due to this, apart from the teaching method and the training material, Senai units should also be adapted to receive these students.

The Senai counterpart in Morocco is the Moroccan Office for Professional Training and Work (OFPTT), which also operates in professional training. The entire methodology should be adapted to French, which is one of the languages spoken in the African country. According to Lamego, there should be around 15 professionals from Morocco in Brazil, for training, and four or five professionals from Brazil should travel to Morocco for assistance. The Rio Grande do Sul state branch of the Senai should be responsible for the exchange with Morocco.

According to Lamego, cooperation with Morocco for the training of teachers in the area of civil construction is also planned as the Arab country greatly needs this kind of labour. In these cases, when there is international transfer of knowledge at the request of the government of Brazil, the services are offered by the Senai, but are later paid by the government, as they are part of a political strategy for cooperation with developing countries.

The Senai promotes this work in several countries. In some, in fact, the institution has units. This is the case with Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Paraguay and East Timor. In Guinea, the work has already been finished and the unit should be transferred to the Senai partner once and for all. The idea, according to Lamego, is for all units to live this process: after a period of exchange, they should be transferred to the local government. In Angola there is also a centre and the work has been concluded.

Last week the Senai signed an agreement with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency, under the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), for the construction of another five units for professional training, in Guatemala, St. Thomas and Principe, Jamaica, Haiti and Mozambique. The agreement also seals the engagement for the strengthening of operation in the existing units. Currently, the Senai already has partnerships with 43 institutions in 30 countries. The Senai is part of the National Confederation of Industries (CNI) System and also of the Federation of Industries of the States.

*Translated by Mark Ament