Mandatory training: Did you know that you are entitled to 40 hours a year?

11 de July, 2023

Continuous professional training is a key element in the success of workers and companies.

When employees keep up to date and develop their skills – whether they are technical skills specific to their job or the so-called soft skills – they become more creative, more innovative, more involved and more productive.

However, according to the José Neves Foundation’s “Guide for Companies: How to invest in employee training” (2023), although 50% of Portuguese companies value employee training, less than 20% promote it.

But did you know that vocational training is a right for all workers that is provided for in Código do Trabalho? Come and find out!

Read also: Employee training: an investment, not a cost

Are companies obliged to provide ongoing training for employees?

According to Article 131 of Código do Trabalho, the employer must promote the development and qualification of employees and ensure that each of them has the “individual right to training, through a minimum annual number of training hours”.

This minimum number corresponds to 40 hours each year. In the case of fixed-term contracts of three months or more, the minimum number of hours must be proportional to the duration of the contract in the same year.

The 40 hours of continuous training per year must be made available to at least 10% of the company’s employees. In other words, although the law provides for annual training, this can be carried out over a period of 2 years.

Are vocational training hours paid for?

Employers must bear all the costs of training their employees. In addition, the 40 hours of training must be paid as working hours. In practice, when employees are undergoing training, it is as if they were working as normal.

If the training takes place outside of working hours, the employee must be compensated for the hours spent.

If the mandatory continuing training hours are not completed within 2 years of the employee’s salary, they result in a credit of hours for training on the employee’s initiative and count as working hours, entitling the employee to remuneration (Article 132 of Código do Trabalho).

In the event of termination of the employment contract, the employee must receive the training hours not taken up until then.

Investing in your training and professional development can help you stay motivated, feel more fulfilled and achieve certain career goals.

So, if you’d like to do some training, acquire or improve a skill, share your desire with the people in charge of your company.