Survey of Adults Skills is an "important challenge for Portuguese society"

The director of the Center for Studies and Opinion Polls (CESOP) at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Ricardo Reis, was present on the program As Três da Manhã, on Rádio Renascença, to mark the beginning of the "Survey on Adult Competences" that is being conducted by Católica

This survey is a key component of PIAAC - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, an OECD study involving more than thirty countries.

For the application of this survey in Portugal, thousands of interviews will be carried out in the whole of the national territory with people aged between 16 and 65. 

Ricardo Reis explained that in this phase "letters will be sent to some chosen regions, of low and high population density, namely Lisbon and Porto." Starting in January, "the goal is to conduct a fairly large set of surveys, approximately 5,000, throughout the country."

The interviews, which last between 45 and 120 minutes, are conducted at the respondent's home, according to his/her availability.

According to CESOP's director, "this is a critical and important challenge for the government," but also "for the whole society, it is important to know more about the skills of the Portuguese population.

Invitation letters for participation in the study are being sent to randomly chosen households. The selected residents will subsequently be visited by a member of the team of interviewers from the Center for Studies and Opinion Polls (CESOP) of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, duly accredited. Participation in this study is anonymous and voluntary.

The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, promoted by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) aims to assist governments in assessing, monitoring and analyzing the level and distribution of adults' skills. This work will make it possible to know the human capital of the countries participating in this initiative.