Almost 15 million Brazilians are unemployed, according to the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD). Not only were conventional job openings reduced, but also opportunities for young apprentices in the pandemic: Between March 2020 and March 2021, 72.000 jobs were closed.
There are two reasons for the closure: First, there is an increase in employee layoffs. This is because, when a company closes jobs, the number of vacancies for young apprentices also decreases: the Apprenticeship Law establishes that the number of apprentices is proportional to the number of employees, according to a pre-established quota.
And, in addition to not having increased the creation of vacancies, many of the existing contracts were terminated without replacement of posts. The sum of these factors made young apprentices suffer more from the crisis than other professionals, according to the General Register of Employed and Unemployed (CAGED).
By the end of 2020, a Provisional Measure was in effect to guarantee the continuity of young apprentices to reduce unemployment. The Provisional Measure also authorized the young apprentice’s telework, as long as the functions were compatible with the modality. But few young apprentices were able to join the home office: only 23%, according to the Brazilian Institute of Learning.
At the beginning of 2021, an ordinance authorized the carrying out of theoretical and practical activities for young apprentices, provided that they were exceptional. This opened debates about what kind of activity can be developed and when.
As for young people who adopted telework, the challenges were linked to access and change in their routine. But they were quickly overcome, as highlighted by Marcilene Martins, coordinator of the Young Apprentice program at Instituto Ramacrisna.
“In the beginning, they had a little difficulty with access and, mainly, with the routine. Today, we realize that young people are well adapted and productive. They have built a study routine, attend classes, do group activities and manage to meet the schedule as planned. We are getting excellent results”, she assesses.
The Ramacrisna Institute trains and directs young people to jobs in the labor market. In classes, the young person has school monitoring, skills development and behavior assessment. During the pandemic, these actions are carried out remotely.
“The action of Ramacrisna has been a constant search for improvement of its processes, training of instructors, search for new technologies and forms of access, as well as the development of high quality material to awaken and maintain the interest of learners in class moments theoretical”, explains Marcilene. The Institute also seeks external guests for classes and holds lives with subjects of great value to the Young Apprentice Program.
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Advantages of the young apprentice
From the perspective of young people, participating in the young apprentice program is a chance to enter and work in the labor market, in addition to contributing to family income, impacted by this pandemic period. It is also an opportunity to develop skills and gain knowledge with tutors within organizations.
For companies, however, it means not only social responsibility or meeting the quota defined by the Ministry of Economy. It is a way to train internal labor, saving on selection processes and training. By hiring young people as collaborators after completing the apprenticeship contract, companies are assured of the behavior and potential of the new employee.
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