State programs ensure opportunities for young people with COP 30
People aged between 18 and 29 make up the majority of the beneficiaries of the Capacita COP 30 program, from the Government of Pará
At 18 years old, Ricardo Duarte found in the COP30 Volunteering program the chance to enhance his resume and establish contact with professionals he may work with right after graduating from college. He is in the 4th semester of the International Relations course. A resident of the Parque Guajará neighborhood, a peripheral area of Belém, Ricardo has been attentive to the opportunities that the United Nations Conference on Climate Change could provide since the capital of Pará was announced as the host of the global event in December 2023.
"It is an event where authorities, businessmen, and representatives of organized civil society from all continents will be present. The world will be focused here, and I need to participate in this moment in some way. Living this experience will add a lot to my professional training," says Ricardo Duarte, a student of the higher course in institutional relations.
The path for the university student to achieve his goal opened up through Capacita COP30, which offers free qualification and professional training courses in the areas of tourism, gastronomy, infrastructure, and security.
About 22 thousand certificates have already been delivered through the program
The initiative is promoted by the Government of the State of Pará, through the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher, Professional and Technological Education (Sectet), to prepare women and men for the job market and to seize opportunities with the realization of COP30 in the capital of Pará.
Ricardo took the basic and advanced English courses. "I needed to be proficient in another language. Almost all my classmates speak at least three languages, and I only speak Portuguese. When the opportunity arose, I embraced it," he said.
Young people like Ricardo make up the majority of those registered and certified by Capacita COP30. According to Sectet, 37% of the program participants are between 18 and 29 years old. Most are residents of peripheral neighborhoods in Belém.
Program provides qualified training
The Capacita COP30 allowed the university student the possibility of greater participation in the event. The certification in English enabled Ricardo to apply for the COP30 Volunteering program, promoted by the Government of Pará in partnership with the Federal Government.
"I took English courses without imagining that I could work as a volunteer at the event. Today, I am participating in the training and hope to build a good network. I am dedicating myself a lot and learning about countries, different cultures, and topics related to the environment," says Ricardo Duarte.
The plastic artist Luana Queiroz, 28 years old, also took the English course through the Capacita COP30 program. She completed the training with fluency in conversation and decided to enhance this knowledge by also volunteering at COP30.
'Cultural baggage for life,' says young participant
"This is a moment of opportunities that I want to take advantage of. The Volunteering training broadens our horizons regarding what COP30 is and its importance. This cultural baggage we are acquiring reflects not only in my work but also in the way we view global issues that relate to environmental themes and economic and social development," comments Luana.
Legacy of COP30
The Capacita COP30 program was launched by the Government of Pará in the first half of 2024, aiming to train and qualify labor for the job market, as well as to contribute to expanding the knowledge of entrepreneurs and small businesses. About 22 thousand certificates have already been delivered to participants. During the certification ceremony in May of this year, the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, highlighted that the initiative came from the vice-governor, Hana Ghassan, to ensure that during the conference, the local workforce is prioritized.
“Hana advocated for the training of people from Pará so that, during COP30, not only the labor from outside the State would be utilized. Professional qualification, through Capacita, is also a legacy of COP,” said the governor.
For the coordinator of Capacita COP30, Andrei Rabelo, the program confirms itself as a legacy from the moment students can use the knowledge to specialize and even secure a position in the job market.
"Capacita promotes the strengthening of citizen, environmental, and professional education, generating real transformations in people's lives. During the program, many lives were changed: participants secured their first job, ascended to new positions, and began to access a better quality of life through new professional opportunities," concludes Andrei.
