Porto TERA — municipal strategy to attract, develop and retain talent

Porto launched TERA (Talent, Evolve, Retain and Attract) in 2022 as its integrated municipal talent strategy. Governed by the Câmara Municipal do Porto with an annual budget of approximately €400,000, TERA coordinates three strategic axes: attracting skilled workers through labour-market intelligence and promotional activities; developing talent by bridging workers, academia and companies; and retaining skilled people by supporting career progression.

The 'Porto. for Talent' digital platform serves as the central hub: 433,000+ visits and 124,000 job applications logged since launch. Nearly 35,000 people visited Porto's booth at recruitment events. Career guidance served over 2,860 people. Two complementary skills programmes operate in parallel: Porto Skills Academy (digital skills for 2,260 people) and 42 programming courses (290 students). The Ensico@Porto computer-science programme enrolled 1,970 students, up from 75 in its inaugural year.

Porto Summer Academy matched 164 students with 92 companies for paid work placements. Summer oPORTOnities engaged 1,450 jobseekers and 837 companies annually. Inclusion is a defined pillar: Porto_4_All trained 56 migrants in employability skills, with 82% entering from unemployment and 73% subsequently integrated into the labour market; (D) for Efficiency has run annually since 2019 for job-seekers with disabilities.

TERA won the Talent category at the Eurocities Awards 2024 — an award given by an independent network of 200+ European cities specifically for its impact and transferability. The TERA platform and framework have been presented as a model to other Eurocities member cities.

Source 1 (primary): https://tera.porto.pt/en
Source 2 (independent, Eurocities): https://eurocities.eu/stories/how-porto-is-reversing-brain-drain-to-become-a-talent-magnet/

Read the full analysis: https://tera.porto.pt/en