Technology and the Training Challenge in Portuguese SMEs

Pedro Costa Santos, Head of Marketing & Sales – Co-founder, Learninghubz

Labour legislation in Portugal sets the tone clearly: companies are legally required to provide a minimum of 40 hours of training per employee, every year. Simple on paper. But in practice—especially for small and medium-sized enterprises—it’s far from straightforward.

This is a law that applies to everyone, no matter the sector or company size. Yet for many SMEs, meeting this requirement feels more like navigating a maze than ticking a box. And it’s not about lack of interest or goodwill—what’s missing is time, budget, and quite often, dedicated people to manage it all.

In fact, the absence of dedicated HR managers in many smaller businesses leads to an inevitable juggling act. The same people who are handling payroll, recruitment, or operations are often expected to manage training as well. And when the to-do list stretches longer than the day allows, training ends up on standby—an item on the agenda that’s regularly delayed, if not quietly forgotten.

Then there’s the financial side of things. Most of these companies operate with limited budgets, which makes it difficult to access traditional or formal training. Anything that involves travel, long hours away from the workplace, or structured formats usually means significant costs, not just in euros, but in productivity too. For SMEs, that cost is sometimes too high to justify, even when they know how valuable training is.

But the story doesn’t end there. In fact, over the past few years, the explosion of innovation and technological development has opened up an entirely new world for business, particularly when it comes to learning and development. Training is no longer what it once was. Thanks to digital transformation, organisations of all sizes can now access a growing ecosystem of tools and solutions specifically built for learning. And these solutions are not just smart and effective—they’re also accessible and affordable.

For SMEs, this is a turning point. Suddenly, many of the obstacles I mentioned earlier aren’t quite as unmovable as they once seemed. In some cases, they disappear altogether. Technology now allows companies to not only deliver training but to offer learning that is more relevant to employees, both individually and collectively. This means less time spent organising, less pressure on internal teams, and more time focused on impact.

And with the arrival of Artificial Intelligence, this evolution has gained a whole new level of practicality. AI brings clear value to training by automating content selection, identifying relevant learning topics, and recommending resources based on actual needs. We’re also seeing AI create training formats from scratch, and even design personalised learning journeys for individual employees—all of it within reach of any company, no matter the size.

It’s not just faster. It’s smarter. Because the more personalised the training offer, the more efficient it is for the person learning, and the more likely it is to be embraced. After all, no two employees need exactly the same thing. When people receive content that speaks to their role, their goals, and their own pace, they’re far more likely to engage with it. That’s the real win.

To wrap up, I truly believe that giving SMEs widespread access to digital learning solutions—and helping them implement best practices around them—can make a genuine difference in spreading a real learning culture across the Portuguese business landscape. When training becomes something companies do not just because the law says so, but because they understand its value, we win twice: once by developing people, and again by growing stronger businesses.

And here’s the best part. Technology—and the smart digital platforms it powers—may very well be the missing piece that allows more companies to finally meet the 40-hour training requirement year after year… without it feeling like a battle.

💡 At Learninghubz, we make corporate training easy, engaging, and effortless! Whether you need a plug-and-play upskilling solution or want to integrate premium learning content into your existing LMS, we’ve got you covered. Let’s talk and see how we can help! 🚀