Instituto PROA offers free programming courses for youth in Brazil

Educational initiatives in Brazil are providing pathways into the technology sector through vocational training. Information technology technician roles offer a fast-track to the market, with programs lasting up to two years focusing on practical skills such as hardware maintenance, network infrastructure, system troubleshooting, and basic programming.

In partnership with Senac, Instituto PROA has opened applications for its ProProfissão program, offering 150 free, semi-presential programming vacancies for youth aged 17 to 22. The program is specifically for public school students residing in the Greater São Paulo area. The curriculum covers highly demanded languages like Java and Python, alongside modules on artificial intelligence.

Participants receive a notebook, didactic materials, and uniforms. Following graduation, students receive employability support for up to three years, connecting them to a network of over 6,000 partner companies, including Oracle and Itaú. Previous cohorts showed high success rates, with 87% of graduates securing employment within six months.