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Portugal Launches Nationwide AI Training Push to Reach 100,000 Workers
18 Sept 2026
A new pilot in Leiria will test how artificial intelligence can be introduced directly into Portuguese businesses before the programme expands nationwide, with SMEs and industrial companies at the centre of the government’s productivity strategy.
18 September 2026 — Portugal is preparing to train up to 100,000 workers in artificial intelligence, beginning with a pilot programme in the Leiria region in October. The initiative is designed to help companies, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, introduce AI into everyday operations rather than treating it as a technology reserved for larger organisations.
Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida announced the plan in parliament, arguing that productivity remains one of the country’s central economic challenges and that wider adoption of AI could help smaller companies modernise processes and compete more effectively. Portugal’s business structure makes that difficult: the minister noted that many firms are very small, with an average of around three workers, limiting their capacity to organise internal AI training programmes on their own.
Leiria will serve as the first testing ground
The first pilot is expected to begin in October with around 100 workers from companies in the Leiria region. The government plans to use the results to refine the model before expanding it across the country, with the longer-term goal of reaching approximately 100,000 workers from the north of Portugal to the Algarve.
The regional focus is significant because the programme is intended to move AI training closer to the workplace. Rather than offering only general digital-literacy courses, the government wants businesses to understand how AI can be applied to real production, administrative and operational problems.
Castro Almeida said that if 100,000 workers in micro, small and medium-sized companies become familiar with AI and are able to introduce it into their organisations, it would represent an important step toward improving productivity.
Marinha Grande will test AI directly on the factory floor
A second pilot will take place in Marinha Grande, one of Portugal’s major industrial centres for mould-making and related manufacturing.
Five or six companies are expected to take part in training focused on how AI can support concrete industrial processes. The aim is to move beyond theory and examine how the technology performs inside real production environments before similar models are repeated elsewhere.
That makes the project particularly relevant to Portugal’s regional development strategy. Manufacturing clusters outside Lisbon and Porto often depend on specialised SMEs, where productivity improvements can have a direct effect on local employment, exports and competitiveness.
If the Marinha Grande trial produces measurable benefits, the model could offer a practical template for other industrial regions.
The programme targets Portugal’s SME productivity gap
Portugal’s AI push is closely linked to the structure of its economy.
Large companies already have the resources to train employees, hire specialists and experiment with new software. Smaller businesses often do not. The government is therefore positioning public intervention as a way to reduce that gap.
The challenge is not simply access to software. AI adoption also requires workers who understand where the technology can be useful, how processes need to change and where human oversight remains necessary.
This fits with Portugal’s broader National AI Agenda, which places talent and skills alongside infrastructure, adoption and responsible use as one of the main pillars of national AI policy. The agenda specifically identifies SMEs and public administration as priority areas for adoption.
AI skills are becoming part of Portugal’s national digital strategy
The 100,000-worker initiative is not an isolated programme.
Portugal’s Digital Skills Pact already sets out a broader goal of increasing digital capability across the population, workforce and business sector. It includes training in generative AI, automation, cybersecurity, data science, robotics and cloud computing, alongside programmes specifically targeted at SME employees.
The government wants at least 80% of the population to have basic digital skills by 2030, while also expanding advanced technical training. The broader pact is intended to connect education and workforce development more closely with labour-market needs.
The new AI programme adds a more immediate business focus by taking training directly into companies and industrial clusters.
More than €400 million has already been directed toward AI adoption
Training is also being backed by investment.
According to Castro Almeida, hundreds of medium-sized and large companies are already receiving support through the Financial Instrument for Innovation and Competitiveness (IFIC) to introduce AI into production and business processes. The minister said more than €400 million has been committed for that purpose.
That financial support matters because AI adoption often requires more than employee training. Businesses may need new software, cloud infrastructure, workflow redesign, data preparation and specialist expertise before the technology can generate measurable returns.
Portugal is therefore approaching the issue from both sides: improving workforce skills while also helping companies finance adoption.
Cities and regions could become central to AI adoption
Although the programme is national, its implementation is likely to be strongly regional.
Leiria and Marinha Grande are being used as early testing grounds because they provide concentrated business communities where training can be closely connected to local industries. If the initiative expands successfully, other regions could adapt the model around their own economic strengths.
That could mean different approaches for manufacturing centres, tourism regions, technology clusters or agricultural economies.
This creates an opportunity to treat AI skills as part of local economic development rather than simply national technology policy. Training programmes linked to employers, universities and regional business associations could help ensure that AI adoption responds to actual labour-market needs.
Portugal is linking AI adoption to competitiveness
Portugal’s National AI Agenda makes clear that the country sees artificial intelligence as an economic and public-sector tool rather than an end in itself.
The strategy is organised around infrastructure and data, innovation and adoption, talent and skills, and responsibility and ethics. Its stated goal is to translate AI investment into productivity, economic opportunity and public value.
The 100,000-worker programme puts that strategy into practice at workforce level.
The real test will be whether training produces lasting changes inside companies. Familiarity with AI tools is useful, but productivity gains will depend on whether businesses can redesign workflows, identify worthwhile use cases and integrate the technology responsibly.
If the pilots in Leiria and Marinha Grande can demonstrate those benefits, Portugal could have a model that is easier to replicate across smaller businesses and regional economies.
Sources
- The Portugal News — Portugal launches project to train 100,000 workers in artificial intelligence
- ECO — Governo quer dar formação a 100 mil trabalhadores em IA
- Human Resources Portugal — Governo vai formar 100 mil trabalhadores em inteligência artificial
- Portugal Digital — National AI Agenda (ANIA)
- Portugal Digital — Digital Skills Pact
- Portuguese Government — National Digital Strategy Action Plan 2026–2027
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Sara Srifi
Sara is a Software Engineering and Business student with a passion for astronomy, cultural studies, and human-centered storytelling. She explores the quiet intersections between science, identity, and imagination, reflecting on how space, art, and society shape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Her writing draws on curiosity and lived experience to bridge disciplines and spark dialogue across cultures.
