RVCC
Published 8 November 2026, 22:44
Reconhecimento, Validação e Certificação de Competências — recognition, validation and certification of skills
A state procedure through which adults get credit for what they have learned at work and in life rather than at school. There is a school track (leading to a completed 4th, 6th, 9th or 12th year) and a vocational track (leading to a certificate in an occupation from the national qualifications catalogue); you can follow both at once. It is done in sessions at a Centro Qualifica, and the certificate carries the same weight as one from ordinary courses or school.
Where you come across it. Conversations about working without a diploma, upgrading your qualifications, or recruitment competitions that require a formal level of education.
This is not recognition of a foreign diploma: if you already have a foreign education certificate, there is a different route. It is open from the age of 18, and those aged 18 to 23 need at least three years of proven work experience.