Amongst the different forms of education and learning, vocational training is the one wich is most closely linked to the world of work and production. This has led to increasingly consider vocational training and human resources development as a strategic component of both economic policies -as a result of its impact on labour productivity and the competitiveness of firms - and social policies, due to its key role in the measures taken to attain the objectives of Decent Work, increased employability and struggle against exclusion from the labour markets.