ETIC arrives in the Algarve

ETIC_Algarve is beginning with 11 full-term courses (lasting 1-2 years). Pupils are of all ages and from all professions. There’s even a policeman from Portimão enrolled to study photography. But they all have something in common – “they’re keen to get proper training”. Who says this is Nuno Ribeiro, one of the founders of ETIC in Lisbon, where he worked for more than two decades. He’s a teacher and master of communication design.

How did ETIC_Algarve come about?

Nuno Ribeiro: We’ve always had a lot of pupils from the south of the country – and a lot from the Algarve. So we began to realise that there was nothing at our level on offer in the region, although the market for it existed. We also realised that there were a lot of people who wanted to attend our courses in Lisbon, but had to give up because they didn’t have the funds to pay for accommodation and day-to-day living expenses. All these realities prompted us to come to Portimão.

Is it a risk?

All initiatives end up being risks, particularly in this time of crisis. Of course it’s a risk – but what’s also obvious is that there’s a lot of potential here, and a huge lack of professionals in these areas.

What’s the overall investment?

Between building work and equipment, it rounds out at 100.000 euros.

How many pupils do you have already?

For each class, we have a minimum of five and maximum of eight. They’re small classes that will allow, I think, for very interesting work. We’re starting with a maximum capacity for 88 pupils, and right now we already have 60 enrolled.

What was the most popular course?

General photography was the first to fill up. The course in design and multi-media communication was also quickly filled.

What were your criteria for creating courses?

Fundamentally, we paid attention to the courses that pupils from the Algarve most sought out in Lisbon. That was our main criterion. But there were others – which have to do with dialogue we maintain with the «Algarve Film Commission», and with all the film projects that are lined up for Portimão. We wanted to create courses that would accommodate these projects. There are other areas we’d like to promote – film direction, video, production and sound – but we can’t offer these without additional infrastructures. Maybe in a second phase…

Do you believe in the development of the audiovisual industry in the Algarve?

I don’t want to refer simply to the audiovisual industry, but to something above that: creative industries in general. I should mention here that these are some of the few that are currently growing in Portugal, at the rate of four per cent per year. I’m a great optimist. I believe that as long as people are entrepreneurial, innovative and driven, things will happen. I wanted to come south. I left everything I had behind because I honestly believe in the potential of this region. Now, what I’ve felt, as a “stranger” – a person who arrives here and has nothing to do with the Algarve – is that a lot needs changing. In the Algarve there are a lot of people doing a great job, but they don’t tell anyone about it. There are worthwhile people – but they’re not “sharing” this. Of course, the attitude has a lot to do with Portuguese culture as a whole. It’s changing in Lisbon, but it’s still very much as it always was here… Another situation that needs to change is the “seasonality” of the Algarve. It’s got to stop simply being a region for sunshine and beaches.

Are your teachers from Lisbon, or the Algarve?

I came here to give work to the people of the Algarve. In the main, the teachers are from the Algarve – although, of course, we’ll have input from people from elsewhere in certain classes and workshops. Also, the teachers we have running our courses in Lisbon will give some help in the development of training down here.

Is there are profile for the pupils?

There are all sorts. Technical education is very heterogeneous in terms of its candidates. In other words, we have pupils who’ve finished their secondary education, but who have not gone on to higher – just as we have those that have been to university, and want a practical training to complement their more theoretical base. We’ve already been contacted by firms keen to enter into agreements to take on apprentices through us. It’s something we’re very keen on promoting in ETIC Lisbon, and a practice we’d like to continue here.

But the course prices are high...

They’re around 1000 euros cheaper than the courses offered in Lisbon. This space we’re in is thanks to a protocol sign with the borough of Portimão. The fact that we don’t have to pay rent means we can drop our prices and be accessible to more people. We have to be realists – we can’t be solely out for commercial gain.

What more can we expect from ETIC_Algarve?

I can lift the veil a little and say that from January 2011 we’ll be offering something that doesn’t even exist in Lisbon: short-term courses and workshops. Training and education that lasts from as little as a weekend to a month, so that people can specialise in software and other areas. Regarding the workshops, these may take place here in Portimão, or in the other base we have in Pedralva, Vila do Bispo. They’ll be fun – things like creative writing, Nature photography, night photography, steady-cam operator workshops, and workshops for making rag dolls…

One last question – do you consider technical education and/ or professional courses to be for those who can’t make the grade?

Professional schools have always been regarded as a last option – a way out for idiots. It’s a dreadful attitude, but unfortunately it’s deep-rooted, just like a lot of the terrible prejudices in our culture. More often than not, from a human point of view, magical, special things happen in these schools. In traditional education, subjects are seen as separate islands. There is no objective that impels pupils, and then people talk about the problem of “drop outs” and failure at school. But in the technical and professional schools, there’s always a goal – and they still have to do maths and languages. In a professional school, pupils can’t fail – and very often, those that sought out a professional course as a last resort, end up by becoming excellent professionals.