Currently, Brazil has approximately 461,5 young apprentices
The Brazilian Government intends to change the Young Apprentice program, founded 21 years ago. The discussion revolves around removing the main point of the law, allowing vacancies to young people who are not in school. In addition, there are projects to make the norm more flexible, which requires hiring a quota of apprentices proportional to the number of employees and linking remuneration to the minimum wage.
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Currently, Brazil has approximately 461,5 young apprentices. Of the total, almost half are in the manufacturing industry and trade. Office assistant or administrative assistant are the positions that young people occupy most.
The Ministry of Labor explained that, in December 2021, it installed a working group to define projects for “improving” the program, together with representatives of employers and workers. According to the Ministry, the expectation for the end of the debates is March.
On the other hand, critics of the changes point out that the Young Apprentice could be mischaracterized, as businessmen could end up with vacancies. “I am against it”, said Miguel Torres, president of Força Sindical. “Someone must be benefiting.”
How do apprenticeships work?
The Apprentice Law, enacted during Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government at the end of 2000, defines that medium and large companies must grant vacancies to young people and adolescents between 14 and 24 years old, with no maximum age for those with disabilities. The share of vacancies for the Young Apprentice varies between 5% and 15% of the staff.
In a shift that must not exceed 6 hours a day, remuneration must be at least equivalent to the minimum wage proportional to the hours worked, and contracts can last a maximum of 2 years. Another detail is that companies must collect 2% of the remuneration for the Guarantee Fund for Time of Service, not 8% as for normal contracts.
In addition to a signed work permit, the law requires young apprentices to enroll and attend school at least until they finish Elementary School. For those who have already finished the ninth school year, enrollment in a technical-professional course is required.
According to the Ministry of Labor, changes in youth learning eliminate one of the main focuses of the Young Apprentice, which is to eradicate school dropouts and child labor. Ana Maria Villa Real, national coordinator for Combating the Exploitation of Child and Adolescent Labor at the Public Labor Ministry, reiterates: “This is a very expensive matter for labor inspection, in the prevention and eradication of child labor. The apprenticeship program was created to bring a protected childhood, with guaranteed study, income, and professional qualification”.
Criticizing specific issues, such as cutting entry-level functions, prioritizing technical-level vacancies, the attorney stated: “To meet certain economic interests, the group also wants to focus on hiring people over 18 years old, subverting the original public of the program, who are the most vulnerable adolescents. What they want are luxury trainees or interns.”
Information from 2021 states that more than 60% of apprentices hired are minors. “If a company has problems with the Young Apprentice, it means that it has much bigger problems than that. The program is a solution for dropping out of school, violence and unemployment”, said the CEO of the Business-School Integration Center, Humberto Casagrande.
In recent years, this is the fourth time that the Jovem Aprendiz has faced changes. The first was during the Michel Temer government, when trying to reduce the scope, while the other three occurred during the Bolsonaro government.
