Abstract:

In the Portuguese Navy, training and education of new Officers is in charge of the Naval Academy. The Naval Academy is a Military University Public Higher Education Institution and is inserted in the Military University Institute. Its mission is to train Officers for the Navy, enabling them to perform the functions assigned to them by statute. This establishment has almost two centuries of existence and therefore has extensive experience regarding the methodology to be adopted and applied.

However, the extensive knowledge acquired over the years does not invalidate that, like other institutions, the Naval Academy needs to adapt, evolving along with development in the World. In this sense, several reforms have been implemented over the years, to make the Naval Academy following the different contexts experienced in the Navy and Portugal.

Presently, there is a rapid and significant evolution both technological and contextual, with significant impacts on society. These impacts occur both at the level of the organization and stratification of society, and at the level of mentality and way of living. This evolution has been particularly noticeable in Training and Education. The rules and standards that govern it have been the subject of rapid and significant evolution and development. At the European Union level, where Portugal is inserted, several reforms and conventions have been established, such as the Bologna Process (European Ministers of Education, 1999) and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.

To ascertain whether the Naval Academy has been able to effectively monitor this evolution, an analysis was carried out of the current cycles of studies taught at that establishment, in the area of knowledge of Naval Military Sciences.

As a result of this analysis, it was possible to investigate the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students acquire at the end of their courses, in the various specialties taught. Subsequently, the respective competence portfolio of each class was obtained.

Finally, using the different profiles obtained, it was possible to evaluate their suitability for the future perspective, in the various areas of responsibility and performance of the Navy. After the evaluation, there were gaps in the formation of future Navy Officers, with implications for their operational future.

Therefore, to mitigate and/or eliminate them, suggestions for improvement and/or amendment will be proposed, aiming for effective and efficient training of Officers.

Keywords:

Competence Portfolio, Officers, Navy, Portugal.