Youth Sports Apprentice Project Provides Training and First Job Opportunity During the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

For many workers and entrepreneurs in Rio, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a sizeable business opportunity. But for this group of 455 young people without work experience, the Games go beyond. These young men and women have been receiving training (both in the classroom and in-job) to act as assistants at sports events. "This is a way to insert young people in the job market in a dignified, protected way," said Minister of Labour Ronaldo Nogueira during an interview on Monday (15 August) at the Rio Media Center.

These young people were hired under the Youth Sports Apprentice Programme ("Jade" in the Portuguese acronym) of the Ministry of Labour. They are receiving a salary based on the minimum wage (proportional to the hours they spend working or studying as part of the programme). The programme offers over 400 hours of study, divided in two stages - before and after the Games - and is scheduled to complete on 21 December 2016. About 1,600 young people applied for the project, and the selection was based on socioeconomic criteria.

"The [federal] government expects to expand this model to other events in the country through agreements with government agencies at regional level", the minister said. He added that the project is already due to be replicated for Carnival next year, not only in Rio de Janeiro but in other regions of the country as well.

Hiring these young people for the Games was made possible by a partnership between the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Work and Employment Secretariat, and the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ).

"It’s been a fantastic experience. Not only for the practical part, with the opportunity to participate in an event of this magnitude, but also due to the theoretical component as well. The lessons were taught through workshops, something very different from the student-teacher paradigm we are used to," said Ruan Silva, a Youth Apprentice working at Maracanãzinho who also attended the press conference.

Third sector entities (such as universities and federal educational institutions) also collaborate with the project, which is going to be used as a model for replication in other states, especially in major cities.

In addition to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and the Federal District already have pilot groups in place under the Youth Sports Apprentice Programme.

INTERVIEW

"Learning is a way to enter the labour market," says Ronaldo Nogueira

Minister of Labour talks about Youth Apprentices at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Rio Media Center - What is the importance of the Youth Sports Apprentice programme in a country with 12 million unemployed?

Minister of Labour Ronaldo Nogueira - Fighting unemployment is the most urgent task for the Ministry of Labour, and the JADE programme is part of the effort to reheat the market and establish new mechanisms to create jobs. We see the Olympic Games as a great opportunity for Brazil to grow again, and the youth could not be left out. The data show us that a large share of our unemployed are young people. The programme trains this generation to enter the labour market, focusing on their qualification. The students going through this experience will leave the programme more qualified and prepared to develop a career, despite their young age.

RMC - How are these young people hired? How does the programme work?

Nogueira - Hiring these young people for the Olympic and Paralympic Games was possible thanks to partnerships with a number of public entities, including the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the Municipal Work and Employment Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, and the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ). Each partner collaborated with a stage of the project so that we could offer disadvantaged youth the opportunity to work in the world's biggest sporting spectacle. The training includes theoretical and practical lessons, all subject to attendance and performance at their regular schools, which are preconditions for the programme. All were employed with a formal contract and are receiving a salary proportional to their individual hours of work/study under the programme. In addition to being trained in their areas of interest, the beneficiaries of the programme gain professional experience (officially recorded in their employment card) and get to live the day-to-day of the labour market.

RMC - Will the Programme only work during the Olympic Games?

Nogueira - The JADE [Portuguese acronym for the Youth Sports Apprentice programme was established under the Apprenticeship Law (Law 10,097 of 2000), which states that all medium and large companies must hire young people aged 14-24 as apprentices. Companies must have a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 15% of apprentices among their staff, and contracts can last up to two years. The Apprenticeship Law was created to benefit mostly low-income youth, who get a chance to help in their home budget because their work is remunerated. In the sports sector, holding the world's largest sporting event in Rio de Janeiro opened the possibility of a job for 455 youth, and showcased their ability to businesses throughout Brazil. There are other JADE pilot classes in São Paulo and the Federal District, and the programme will be later implemented in all Brazilian states based on the successful model adopted for the Rio 2016 Games.

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