Companies / Organisations

The International Internships Programme is an initiative launched by Icep|Portugal in 1997 with the support of the Ministry for the Economy and the POE - Operational Programme for the Economy. Today it is in keeping with the aims of PRIME - Programme of Incentives for the Modernisation of the Economy, and  is still considered innovative, up-to-date and relevant. It is internationally recognised as unique.

The aim of the Portuguese government is to strengthen the productivity and competitiveness of Portuguese companies. The two general principles that will guide any definition of medium-term strategies, policies and measures are the enhancement of participation by Portuguese companies in the global market and the promotion of new capacities for development. The new Programme of Incentives for the Modernisation of the Economy (PRIME) focuses on three areas of development:  

1. Dynamisation of companies
2. Qualification of human resources
3. Dynamisation of the business environment

This is why in all sectors, from industry to commerce, from services to tourism and construction, there is a move in the same direction: to promote the professional training of human resources.

The competitive success of national companies in any process of internationalisation also involves a commitment to training their human resources. In this context the Contacto@Icep International Internships Programme emerged, and it remains as yet another instrument that Icep|Portugal places at the disposal of the Portuguese business community to confront the ever fiercer competitive environment.

One of the Programme’s main aims is precisely to support internationalised Portuguese companies by providing qualified human resources, bearers of knowledge capable of facing personal and professional challenges abroad.

The adhesion of Companies / Organisations to the Contacto@Icep International Internships Programme since its creation in 1997 has revealed consistency and widespread recognition.

Since the third year of the Programme, 1999/2000, the Portuguese business community has asked Icep|Portugal to triple the number of internships  that the Institute can make available annually to around 120.

Sectors

Through the companies participating in the International Internships Programme, Contacto@Icep covers a wide variety of sectors: from banking to construction, tourism to biotechnologies, marketing to IT, economics and management to design, textiles to engineering, law to international relations, telecommunications to aeronautics… responding to the present and urgent needs for human resources on the part of the companies applying to the Programme.

Number of Companies / Organisations per Contacto@Icep Year

Contact 1 - 1997/1998

Participating companies: 51