It was customary for Lyceums and schools to have the name of any patron, who as a general rule was a prominent figure born in the land, in this case the patron is someone who, not having been born in Barreiro, contributed in such a way to progress and the grandeur of this city that the population expressed the desire  that this name would be linked to its new Technical School. Alfredo da Silva, is today considered one of the greatest Portuguese industrialists and financiers. The construction of the CUF group's Empire is due to his work, which was the main driver of urban development in Barreiro.

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With the expansion of the CUF group and its factories in Barreiro and with the development of the CP Workshops and other local industries, there was a need to recruit specialized labor and training that went beyond the traditional empirical knowledge that had become obsolete in view of the application of new technologies created and developed during the war.

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In liaison with the School, a Patronage Commission was established, made up of delegates from the City Council, local Corporate Bodies - representative of the professional and economic activities taught at the School -, as well as industrial and commercial companies that could employ students and graduates from different courses. The needs of personnel and the type of their training were communicated to the School, so that teaching/learning was directed in this direction and was always kept up to date.

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From this interaction, excellent results were obtained, both for students and for companies in the region, as it was later found.

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These courses also made it possible for many students to continue their studies, with good preparation, in Higher Institutes and Universities, where many ended up graduating.

More recently, a New Reform was instituted, replacing the aforementioned courses with the current Technological Courses, General Courses and Recurrent Education, the offer of which this School can see in the menu   « COURSES ».

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With regard to events that took place throughout the history of the School, the extensive restoration works carried out on the building, carried out between 1995 and 1996, which came to provide more comfort to users and the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary, in 1997, stand out.

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Regarding the second, a Commission was created, which held several events throughout this year, having mobilized a large part of the school population.

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However, the high point of these commemorations was the « Solemn Commemorative Session », on January 12, which was attended by a large number of guests, among which stand out,  the President of the Republic, Doctor Jorge Sampaio, the Excellency Minister of Education, Professor Eduardo Marçal Grilo, the Excellency Minister of Science and Technology, Professor José Mariano Gago and the Excellency Regional Director of Education of Lisbon, Doctor Antonio Joao Sardinha.

Finally, the Alfredo da Silva Secondary School will continue to develop an educational project that, keeping the tradition, will take into account the reality of the environment and the challenges of new technologies, being also a dynamic pole of successful teaching.

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"Excerpts from the Fiftieth Anniversary Book, 1997"