3EAZ

3EAZ – Empoderamento. Educação. Emprego. Azores (Empowerment. Education. Employment. Azores) is a project run by Olhar Poente and funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation through the Gulbenkian Empregar Award. It is aimed at young people aged 16 to 34 in the municipality of Praia da Vitória who are not in education, employment or training, known as NEET.

Its mission is to reduce the number of NEET young people on Terceira through education, training and employment pathways that are participatory, personalised and rooted in the local area. Over 18 months, from January 2026 to December 2027, the project supports 150 young people. Taking part is free.

Three strands, one goal

• All-round empowerment: social and technical skills, independence, civic participation and a sense of belonging to the community.
• Qualifications and learning pathways: education and training pathways matched to each young person's profile and motivation, particularly for those who have or have not finished Year 12.
• Employability and self-employment: direct links with employers, supported employment and a local and social entrepreneurship programme for those who want to start their own business.

Why Praia da Vitória

According to the 2021 Census, 564 NEET young people lived in Praia da Vitória. In March 2026, the Azores Economic and Social Council estimated that there were 7,000 NEET young people in the region, a rate above both the national and the European average. Island and rural life, poor transport links and limited access to specialist services make the area more challenging. That is exactly why a successful project on Terceira shows that change is possible and can be repeated in other remote areas.

The project began with a Participatory Assessment (in Portuguese), built with young people, families and partners, and uses methods with proven results: the IPS supported employment model of the Portuguese Supported Employment Association and the AUDAX-ISCTE entrepreneurship method.

For employers

3EAZ offers a talent pool of young people from a wide range of fields, from programming and design to cleaning, mechanics and pastry. Employers who hire them can use the hiring incentives of the Regional Directorate for Vocational Qualifications and Employment, and the team supports both the young person and the employer while they settle in.

Consortium

The project is built with a consortium of local partners: the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Regional Directorate for Vocational Qualifications and Employment, AUDAX-ISCTE, the Portuguese Supported Employment Association, Praia da Vitória Town Council, the parish councils, the Praia da Vitória Child and Youth Protection Commission, the Terceira Island Employability Network, the Angra do Heroísmo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cáritas Diocesana da Ilha Terceira, the Azores Social Security Institute and Angra do Heroísmo Prison.

Aged 16 to 34, or looking to hire? Sign up and follow the results and the calendar on the 3EAZ website (in Portuguese), or write to projetos@olharpoente.pt.