Monthly Scholarship and Free Courses Are on the Radar of Those Seeking Industrial Training with Financial Support.
The National Service for Industrial Learning (Senai) and Petrobras have opened new opportunities for free courses within the Autonomy and Income Program, an initiative that combines professional training and a monthly scholarship to help students stay in school.
In different calls for the program, the aid is paid during the training period and varies according to the rules of each public announcement.
Autonomy and Income Program and the Qualification Proposal
The proposal targets areas with a recurring demand in the industry, especially in segments related to oil and gas, energy, and industrial maintenance.
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Institute calls for 100% free and online courses in IT and computing with over 35 options, free certificate, and workloads of up to 200 hours after research reveals that 98% of companies face difficulty hiring qualified professionals.
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Senac and Senai offer courses with scholarships of up to R$ 1,500 in areas such as sales, cashier operator, electrical, welding, CNC lathe, construction, telemarketing, and reception.
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100% Free Online Mechanics Course with a R$ 1,400 Scholarship at the Federal Institute: In partnership with XCMG, IF calls for those interested in a technical course that includes a signed employment contract under an apprenticeship regime.
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Petrobras will pay for you to take a course: in partnership with Senai, there are 2,000 free spots with assistance of up to R$ 858 per month and a certificate recognized by the MEC in industrial areas with high demand in Brazil until 2026.
In addition to being free, the program adopts selection based on criteria defined in the announcement, focusing on vulnerable individuals living in areas related to Petrobras’s operations.
Monthly Scholarship of Up to R$ 800 and Announcement Criteria
The scholarship amounts appear as one of the main attractions.
In communications about the program, the monthly scholarship is mentioned to be R$ 660, with a higher amount for women with young children as an extra support for those balancing studies and family care.
In calls already published by partner institutions, this additional benefit appears as R$ 858 for women with children up to 11 years old.
The practical rule is simple: the amount and exact conditions depend on the announcement in effect, which informs who can receive the scholarship, for how long, and what documents will be required for enrollment.
Therefore, even when the topic circulates as “up to R$ 800”, candidates need to check the official text of the announcement to confirm the benefit cap for that specific selection process.
Another repeated point in the announcements is the social cutoff.
The rules tend to require a minimum age of 18 years, educational background compatible with the chosen course, residence in an area of Petrobras’s scope, and fitting into vulnerability criteria, as detailed in each call.
In some disclosures, the selection is described as electronic lottery, a mechanism used to organize demand when there are more applicants than spots.
Technical Courses and Qualifications in Electricity, Mechanics, and Piping
The courses offered vary between technical training and professional qualifications, depending on the local partner and the design of the announcement.
The public program catalog lists options related to electricity and mechanics, such as Technical Course in Electrotechnics, Technical Course in Mechanics, and Industrial Electrician, in addition to occupations frequently associated with industrial sites, such as welding, boilermaking, instrumentation, and industrial painting.
The piping area is also included in the program offers.
Among the listed qualifications, there are courses such as Piping Assistant and Piping Insulator, which often relate to assembly, maintenance, and operational support routines in industrial environments.
The set of courses, however, is not identical across the country.
Petrobras states that the program encompasses dozens of training opportunities and is organized by municipalities and states, with offerings that change according to the calendar and the local network of partner institutions.
In disclosures about the overall structure of the initiative, 34 courses are featured in 42 municipalities across seven states, within a total investment announced to be over R$ 370 million.
MEC Certificate and the Difference Between Technical and Qualification
The certification at the end of the course depends on the type of training.
In technical courses, completion usually results in a technical diploma, adhering to the rules of professional education offerings by accredited institutions.
In short-duration qualifications, the certification tends to be a course completion certificate, focusing on specific skills.
A practical way to check the nature of the certification is to observe how the course is described in the program.
In the catalog, training is identified as Technical Course or FIC Course, an acronym often used for Initial and Continued Training, aimed at professional qualification.
What Petrobras Says About the Program’s Objective
The Autonomy and Income Program was launched in 2024 and brings together different partners to expand the reach of professional qualification in regions close to Petrobras’s operations.
In a disclosure from a partner institution, the Social Projects Manager of Petrobras, Marcela Levigard, attributes a direct objective to the program: “to professionally qualify and expand opportunities” for individuals in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability.
Similarly, José Maria Rangel, Executive Manager of Social Responsibility at Petrobras, stated that the initiative had already offered “more than eight thousand slots” since its inception in June of the previous year to the announcement, and that the partnership with Senai would expand the project’s reach.
Although the institutional discourse highlights employability, the program’s functioning does not equate to a promise of hiring.
What it offers, according to the official pages and communications from the involved institutions, is free training, maintenance scholarship, and organization by announcements with their own rules, including schedules, criteria, and required documents.
Senai, History of Training and Demand for Spots
Senai enters the program with a national structure of courses and units focused on professional education.
In recent communications from the network itself, the institution claims to have 84 years of experience and more than 92 million people trained throughout its history, in courses ranging from qualification to higher education and specializations.
This history helps explain why announcements of the Autonomy and Income Program tend to attract high demand, especially when combining free offerings, scholarships, and training associated with industrial occupations.
The other side of this competition is the limit of spots, which varies by city, class, and course, making understanding the announcement a crucial step before any enrollment.
How to Register
Registrations, when open, are made according to the announcement of the Autonomy and Income Program published for each locality, with a specific application period and selection rules, which may include electronic lottery.
The safest path is to locate the official program page, choose the announcement corresponding to your state and municipality, confirm prerequisites such as minimum age, educational background, and residence in an area of Petrobras’s scope.
Afterward, simply fill out the registration and prepare the requested documentation for enrollment, as approval is usually confirmed only after this in-person step.

Gostaria de saber como faço esse curso técnico que vai receber 800 reais eu vou fazer a prova do concurso da Petrobrás já estou fazendo um cursinho preparatório