Vocational courses

Senai/SC (National Service for Industrial Apprenticeships offers basic, technical and college-level Professional courses, as well as high school education articulated to Professional education. In 2006, the institution enrolled 3,178 students for apprenticeship courses; 13,864 thousand students in 146 technical courses and 4,437 students in the 36 university technology courses. Since its creation in 1954, Senai/SC has trained more than 1 million workers, the double of the total of employees in the Santa Catarina’s industry. They have at the moment 32 Education and Technology Centers throughout the State. In 2006, the institution enrolled 455 students in 37 undergraduate courses and 5,117 students in distant learning courses.

As of 2003, the institution introduced an innovative mode of teaching in Brazil: high school education articulated with professional education. The articulation begins in the first year, when students have had approximately 400 hours of the fundamentals of technological processes. Through these classes, the student is able to get to know about the many Professional areas, which helps with the choice of a technical course for the following year.

Senac/SC (National Service for Commercial Apprenticeships) has 22 Operatives Centers (13 Professional Education Centers, 4 Colleges, 3 Specialized Units and 2 Advanced Units) and operates in 17 municipalities in Santa Catarina, with mobile units, specialized in administration, information technology, tourism and health. Senac/SC enrolls about 45 thousand people annually and operates in 11 different Professional areas: Arts, Communication, Commerce, Conservation and Caretaking, Design, Management, Languages, Information Technology, Personal Imaging, Leisure and Personal Development, Environment, Tourism and Hospitality. The courses are divided into basic, technical and technological levels.

Cefet (Federal Center of Technological Education of Santa Catarina), which is the former Federal Technical School, is an institute which prepares professionals in the areas of  electronics, automation and industrial design, telecommunications, textiles, health, tourism, civil engineering and information technology. Courses are offered for basic, high school, technical and technological (university level), as well as a number of extension projects which extend the knowledge obtained to companies, and bring into the classroom the realities of the marketplace. There are three units: Florianópolis, São José and Jaraguá do Sul. In 2003, 4.5 thousand students were attended of which 93% were at High School and Technical levels.

The State has 14 Cedups (Professional Education Centers), nine for industry and commerce and five for agriculture. Another 22 NPEs (Professional Expansion Units) improve the level of professionalism and are focused on social inclusion and the generation of jobs and income in local communities.

The Tupy Technical School, in Joinville, is one of the main Brazilian centers for the training of metallurgy technicians.