Key figures — as of 2026-09-10: 500 training places across 25 groups — €2.5m total budget (AIMA + CICCOPN/IEFP) — second cycle begins September 2026, following the first cycle launched July 2026 — 600 hours per participant (300 technical + 300 on-the-job internship).
A second wave of places opens as cycle one wraps up
Portugal's construction sector has one more shot this year at plugging its skills gap with foreign labour. The programme foresees training 500 participants, distributed across 25 training groups, and the second of four planned cycles opens for enrolment this month, having been scheduled for September when AIMA first published the regulation back in June.
The scheme, Integrar para a Construção ("Integrate for Construction"), is run by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) together with the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) and the Construction Industry Training Centre (CICCOPN), with the construction employers' association AICCOPN and the Fundação Ageas as delivery partners. The initiative has a financial allocation of roughly €2.5 million, secured by AIMA, the IEFP and CICCOPN.
AIMA has said the programme will run in four distinct cycles, with the first group starting activities in July 2026 and the second beginning in September, with the remaining two cycles scheduled for the first half of 2027. For anyone who missed the first round, this is effectively a second bite at a rare, fully-funded route into a regulated Portuguese trade.
What the training actually covers
This isn't a soft-skills seminar. The technical training runs for 300 hours, plus a further 300 hours of workplace-based internship, delivered mainly through CICCOPN and, where needed, other centres in the IEFP network. Participants choose from a defined list of trades: electrician's assistant, plumbing, finish carpentry, formwork carpentry, plasterboard and ETICS insulation systems, construction machinery operation, and painting and finishing — precisely the specialities employers cite as hardest to fill.
Support during training is meant to make participation realistic for people who can't afford unpaid weeks off: the programme includes food or meal allowances, transport support where applicable, personal protective equipment, and personal accident insurance. There's also training for tutors and mentors inside the participating companies, to strengthen supervision during the internship phase.
Who qualifies, and how the selection works
Eligibility is broader than a typical labour scheme. The programme targets immigrants, applicants and beneficiaries of international protection, and beneficiaries of temporary protection residing in national territory — meaning it explicitly includes asylum seekers and people under temporary protection, not just settled residents. Practical conditions apply too: applicants must be over 18, hold a valid residence document, show basic Portuguese, demonstrate motivation to work in construction, and not be retired, on prolonged sick leave, or a full-time student.
Getting in isn't automatic. Selection includes a review of submitted documents and an individual interview, and candidates apply through AIMA's contact form, selecting "Candidatura a Programas" and the relevant cycle, attaching proof of tax domicile, a Portuguese IBAN, and evidence of employment status. Anyone unsure about eligibility can email AIMA directly at integrar.construcao@aima.gov.pt.
GrowIN's take: what €2.5m actually buys per trainee
Divide the headline budget by the headline places and the number is stark: €2.5 million across 500 places works out to roughly €5,000 of public investment per participant — covering 600 hours of combined classroom and on-site training, allowances, PPE and insurance. That's a modest sum next to the cost of recruiting and training a tradesperson from scratch through a private employer, and it's precisely why construction firms have backed the scheme through AICCOPN.
"This is one of the few genuinely fast-tracked routes from irregular or precarious work into a licensed, certified trade in Portugal," notes GrowIN Portugal Editorial.
What foreigners in Portugal should watch next
The construction programme sits under the wider Integrar para o Mercado umbrella, alongside Integrar para o Turismo, which is already in its second edition. If that pattern holds, expect AIMA to publish outcomes from the first cycle — placement rates, certification numbers — before the third cycle opens in early 2027, and possibly signals about whether the scheme gets extended beyond its current four-cycle scope. For foreigners weighing whether to apply, or advising family members who might, our visas hub covers the residence permit categories that make someone eligible to apply for schemes like this one in the first place.
Whatever happens with cycles three and four, one thing is settled: this month's second intake is open now, and for 500 people currently doing informal or unlicensed site work, it's a concrete route to something more stable. As with any AIMA programme, outcomes depend on the selection process and individual circumstances — professional advice is worth seeking if your residence status is unclear before applying.