Between February and May 2025, A.E.S.A promoted the project “Towards Sustainability: Education for the Future of the Azores” – an initiative that brought training sessions on business sustainability to vocational and secondary schools on 8 islands in the archipelago.
Dynamic and interactive sessions were held with more than 60 vocational and secondary school classes in 16 out of the 19 municipalities of the Azores, with the aim of raising awareness among young people regarding the challenges and opportunities of sustainability in the business context.
Funded by the Decentralized Social Initiative (ISD 2024) of Banco BPI and the “la Caixa” Foundation, the project reinforced A.E.S.A’s mission to empower the Azorean business and social fabric for the challenges of sustainability, focusing on training future professionals with participatory and action-oriented approaches.
According to Marco Andrade, project manager and trainer who delivered the training sessions, there is a clear need to reinforce the curriculum topics and involvement with the theme of sustainability because “a more in-depth approach to these topics, particularly in the pillar of social sustainability, can be an appropriate response to the challenges facing the current training context.” In his direct contact with students and trainees during the sessions, he identified “a remarkable sensitivity and critical sense, with a visible predisposition to change behaviors and mentalities that perfectly reflect the potential of the Azores in terms of business sustainability—in the present and in preparing for the future.”
“By promoting this project, A.E.S.A sought to disseminate the theme of corporate sustainability among audiences in training—the future professionals of companies—and to foster society’s involvement and responsibility in this area.” Catarina Miranda, President of the Board of A.E.S.A
The sessions, which were held in person and lasted approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, took place at school facilities or in public spaces provided by the municipalities. They were attended by members of A.E.S.A’s board, a trainer and consultant from Sustain Azores – a certified training entity specializing in sustainability –, the Project Manager for Intervention and Social Innovation at the Association for the Study of Solidarity Economy in the Azores (ACEESA), and testimonies from 7 A.E.S.A associate companies recognized for their good sustainability practices.
Positive evaluation and active involvement of students
In all sessions, students and trainees were asked to evaluate the session, in a process of continuous improvement that received 658 submissions:
More than 330 responses and suggestions were also collected to the question:
“What can companies in the Azores do to contribute to the sustainable development of the region?”
Among the most recurring ideas, the following stand out:
________________________________________
Next steps
A.E.S.A will compile the results and testimonials collected in a final report, aiming to disseminate the main insights and designing new training and strategic actions for associate companies and schools in the region.
📥 For more information about the project or future partnerships, contact us or become an associate:
📧projetos@aesazores.org
🌐 www.aesazores.org
