EPAMAC

What EPAMAC does

EPAMAC (Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Marco de Canaveses) is a public vocational school founded in 1989 and located in Marco de Canavezes, in the Porto district of northern Portugal. It serves primarily young students aged 15-25, plus adult continuing-education learners, offering Level IV professional technical courses (equivalent to 12th year) in Agricultural Production, Tourism, Equine Management, Family and Community Support, and Horticulture, alongside CEF courses in captive animal care and gardening, a CTeSP in Animal Production and Equestrian Activities, and a CET specialist course in Nature and Adventure Tourism.

The school's physical infrastructure is its core technical asset: greenhouses with an NFT hydroponics system (installed 2015/2016), an equestrian center, experimental fields used for corn silage variety trials with DeKalb Genetics using satellite-derived sowing density models, and a pilot project on paper-based biodegradable soil covering initiated in the 2019/2020 school year. Educational delivery is augmented by a Digital Education Laboratory (LED Tipo 3) and participation in Erasmus+ projects including DigilanguageVET (digital language learning for hospitality VET) and TRY (non-formal education tools), with partner institutions in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, and Germany.

EPAMAC operates under Portuguese public education governance with no private ownership. Funding flows through POCH (Programa Operacional Capital Humano), PESSOAS 2030, and other national/EU educational programs; tuition is regulated by government policy. The school holds the Selo de Conformidade EQAVET (awarded November 2020), certifying European quality standards in vocational education. It is directed by a Diretora elected by the Conselho Geral; Laura Susana Faria Dinis held the role from March 2021, succeeded by a new Equipa Diretiva in March 2025. With 21 employees, EPAMAC is a small, publicly administered institution whose go-to-market is essentially student recruitment via the national education system, educational fairs, and its institutional website.

Name

EPAMAC

Legal name

Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Marco de Canaveses

Website

https://epamac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPAMAC is a public Portuguese vocational school in Marco de Canavezes, founded in 1989, delivering Level IV technical courses in agriculture, equine management, tourism, horticulture, and community services, plus higher CTeSP/CET programs, using on-site farms, greenhouses, hydroponics, and an equestrian center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marco de Canaveses

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Educational Funding: Government-funded vocational education institution operating under Portuguese public education system. Receives funding through POCH (Programa Operacional Capital Humano) and other national/EU educational programs.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EPAMAC is a public vocational school delivering Level IV professional technical courses and higher technical courses (CTeSP) in agricultural production, tourism, equine management, animal care, horticulture, nature/adventure tourism, and family/community support. Instruction combines classroom learning with hands-on practical training across the school's greenhouses, hydroponics facilities, equestrian center, and experimental fields. Programs lead to nationally recognized professional certifications and are supported by Erasmus+ international exchange partnerships.

Product overview

EPAMAC (Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Marco de Canaveses) is a vocational school offering a portfolio of professional technical courses at Level IV (equivalent to 12th year) and higher technical courses (CTeSP). The educational offerings center on agricultural sciences (Técnico Produção Agropecuária), animal husbandry (including equine management through Técnico Gestão Equina and Production Animal CTeSP), tourism (Técnico de Turismo and Tourism de Natureza e Aventura CET), and community services (Técnico Apoio Familiar). The school also offers short CEF courses in captive animal care and gardening operations. Programs are complemented by sustainability projects, Erasmus+ partnerships, and practical training facilities including a Digital Education Laboratory (LED Tipo 3), greenhouses with hydroponics, and equestrian center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Técnico Produção Agropecuária (TPA) Professional technical course Level IV (equivalent to 12th year) focused on agricultural and livestock production systems, for students seeking careers in agriculture.
• Técnico de Turismo (Tourism Technician) Professional technical course Level IV in tourism covering hospitality and service industry skills, for students pursuing careers in the tourism sector.
• Técnico Gestão Equina (TGE) - Equine Management Technician Professional technical course Level IV in equine management including horse care, riding, and equestrian event management, for students interested in equestrian careers.
• Tratador Animais em Cativeiro (CEF) - Captive Animal Caretaker Education and Training Course (CEF) for captive animal care, focusing on wildlife management and husbandry, for students interested in animal care professions.
• Produção Animal e Atividades Equestres (CTeSP) Higher Technical Specialized Course (CTeSP) in animal production and equestrian activities, a post-secondary vocational program for students seeking advanced technical qualifications.
• Técnico Especialista Turismo de Natureza e Aventura (CET) Technical Specialist Course in Nature and Adventure Tourism covering outdoor activities and ecological tourism management, for students pursuing careers in nature-based tourism.
• Técnico Apoio Familiar e de Apoio à Comunidade (TAFC) Professional technical course Level IV in family and community support services, for students pursuing careers in community and family support roles.
• Operador de Jardinagem (CEF) - Gardening Operator Education and Training Course (CEF) for gardening operations covering landscape maintenance and horticultural practices, for students interested in landscaping and horticulture professions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Silver medal at Marco Wine Competition 2021 - demonstrates quality of agricultural education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Şaban Temuge Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi (Turkey)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in DigilanguageVET Erasmus+ project. Turkish vocational school working on digital language education resources for hospitality management students.
• Colegiul Economic Ion Ghica Braila (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in DigilanguageVET Erasmus+ project. Romanian economic college contributing to development of e-learning portal and mobile app for English language learning in hospitality.
• Varna University of Management (Bulgaria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in DigilanguageVET Erasmus+ project. Bulgarian higher education institution involved in creating open educational resources for vocational language training.
• IMPULS1 (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in DigilanguageVET Erasmus+ project. German organization contributing to digital language education tools for VET students in hospitality sector.
• DeKalb Genetics CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration on corn silage field trials comparing different maize varieties. DeKalb provided seed varieties for experimental testing at EPAMAC facilities. Results were used to create satellite-based digital models for optimal sowing density recommendations.
• Quercus Green CorkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Environmental partnership for cork recycling. EPAMAC collected 32 boxes of cork stoppers in 2020, contributing to reforestation of burned areas with native species.
• Aventura Magna (Project Coordinator - TRY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Strategic Erasmus+ project coordinated by Aventura Magna focusing on non-formal education tools and games for personal development and autonomy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA): Portugal's premier higher-education institution for agronomy, forestry, and environmental sciences, part of the University of Lisbon. Represents the established incumbent in Portuguese agricultural education that EPAMAC's students may progress to.
• Wageningen University & Research: World-leading Dutch agricultural university and research institution. Much larger and broader in scope than EPAMAC, but operates in the same agricultural education/research category and is a natural benchmark for European agricultural training quality.
• Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD): Portuguese public university with strong agricultural sciences, veterinary, and rural development programs, located in the same northern/central Portugal region as EPAMAC. Represents the higher-tier education pathway EPAMAC graduates may feed into.
• Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra (ESAC): Polytechnic agricultural school within the Coimbra Polytechnic, focused on agriculture, forestry, and environmental sciences. Operates in an adjacent Portuguese agricultural education tier (higher education vs. EPAMAC's secondary VET).

Direct peers

• EPATV - Escola Profissional do Alto Tâmega e Barroso: Portuguese vocational school operating under similar public VET funding model and serving a comparable regional, rural-anchored student base. Closest direct comparables in business model and operating context.
• EP Cantanhede - Escola Profissional de Cantanhede: Portuguese vocational school with comparable mission to EPAMAC, offering professional courses in agricultural and related fields under the same Portuguese public VET system. Closely comparable in scale, funding model, and target audience.

Others

• EIT Food: EU-funded knowledge and innovation community focused on food systems, with education and training programs across Europe. Comparable as a complementary ecosystem participant addressing the same agricultural/sustainability skills market EPAMAC serves.
• Junior Achievement Portugal: Portuguese non-profit delivering entrepreneurship education programs, including a documented partnership with EPAMAC (A Empresa / Jovens Empreendedores). Comparable as an enabling education partner addressing adjacent curriculum needs.

Regional players

• Eple Lycée Agricole (French agricultural VET network): French public network of agricultural vocational high schools (lycées agricoles) operating under a similar publicly funded VET model with comparable curriculum focus on agriculture, equine, and environmental subjects. Regional comparator rather than direct competitor due to geography.

Emerging players

• Greenfield International School / Sustainability-focused VET schools: Indicative category of small sustainability/outdoor-focused vocational schools emerging across Europe. EPAMAC's combination of agriculture, equine, and nature tourism aligns with this emerging thematic cluster.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/epamac
• Instagraminstagram.com/epamac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epamac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPAMAC