SENAI (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industria), the National Service of Industrial Training, was founded in 1942 as a private non-profit institution in Brazil. It provides technical education aimed at promoting industrial innovation. Its mission is centered on technology transfer, leveraging innovation or promoting industrial innovation. As the largest private technical training network in Latin America, SENAI seeks to add value to products and processes of private sector companies and industries. Currently, SENAI has 993 vocational training units, 26 innovation institutes, 58 technology institutes, and 189 technological services labs. In 2017, SENAI had more than 2.3 million enrollments at national level, and SENAI Institutes were responsible for more than 1.3 million lab tests and services. 

A part of the Industrial System, along with the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the Social Service of Industry (SESI) and the Euvaldo Lodi Institute (IEL), SENAI is renowned as a model of professional education and known for the quality of its technological services that promote innovation in the Brazilian industry. Since its creation in 1942, 55 million professionals have graduated from SENAI. Currently, SENAI’s 809 mobile and fixed operational units throughout the country receive more than 2.5 million applications for around 3 thousand courses that prepare workers for 28 industrial areas. Courses range from professional learning to high school degrees, and even include college and graduate degrees. Not only does SENAI offer Brazilians quality professional education, it also, in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations, operates workforce-training centers in Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Guatemala, Paraguay and East Timor. In addition, it is creating centers of professional education in Mozambique, Peru, Jamaica, São Tomé and Príncipe and Haiti. SENAI also operates a certified network of 208 laboratories that offer technical and technological services to companies throughout the country. In 2011, this network serviced more than 18 thousand companies, and 139,149 services were undertaken to support industrial innovation and technological development. 

To learn more, please visit SENAI’s website. 

SENAI partnered with the Innovation Fund to foster higher education partnerships and student academic training & exchanges for Brazil-U.S. Competition for Innovation & Technological Development in 2018.