The initiative, which stemmed from a program application for specialized European technical support, included a technical session on the Evaluation of Intermediate Level Qualifications, coordinated by PESSOAS 2030, and an extended meeting to share experiences on public policy evaluation challenges, bringing together national and European stakeholders.
On October 14th, intermediate results were presented and discussed from the evaluation analyzing the contribution of European funds to increasing intermediate-level qualifications of the Portuguese population and their integration into the labor market. The evaluation, developed by the ISCTE–CoLABOR consortium, uses a mixed methodology, combining a theory-based approach with a counterfactual analysis.
The meeting was attended by Elliot Stern, Agathe Devaux, and Andrea Naldini (Evaluation Helpdesk), Isabel Flores (Executive Director of IPPS–ISCTE), and teams from ISCTE and PESSOAS 2030. The discussion focused on the link between results, conclusions, and recommendations, and the importance of involving stakeholders to ensure the relevance and feasibility of recommendations.
On October 15th, a workshop on “Strengthening Capacities for Quality and Use of Evaluation” was held, with welcome remarks from ISCTE vice-rector Ricardo Paes Mamede. The session, facilitated by the Evaluation Helpdesk, included a representative from the European Commission (DG EMPL), and participants from academia, evaluation entities, public bodies, and management authorities from Portugal, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The discussions focused on the challenges associated with the quality and use of evaluations, from planning to the monitoring of recommendation implementation. The importance of stakeholder involvement was highlighted to ensure evaluations meet real information needs and contribute to improving public policies.
The initiative reinforced PESSOAS 2030's commitment to developing evaluation capacity and fostering a culture of evaluation that values technical rigor, relevance, and effective use of results. The meeting also deepened cooperation between national and European evaluation ecosystems.
