This text presents the process of reintegration of former Banestado Bank employees to the labour market after a wave of voluntary lay-offs which took place during the late 1990's. Its main objective is to analyze whether or not such a reintegration was made easier by the level of professional qualification acquired at the bank. Interviews were conducted with the former employees in order to assess the degree of professional qualification attained by those employees during their employment years. The interviews were carried out in Curitiba and Metropolitan Region. The results reveal a surprising degree of reintegration in the labour market. Such a reintegration, however, carries with it all the problems of the present day precariousness of the labour market. Another important result is the conviction of the interviewees as to their decision: none of them to regret about their decision to leave the bank. As a consequence of this, we judged necessary to introduce information on the contruction process of the bank and its experiences of professional qualification in such an organization. The main conclusions are that professional qualification indeed facilitates reintegration of the employees to the labor market. Moreover, the voluntary lay-off programs were successful in the process of downsizing of the bank as well as a means to diminish labour resistance, especially among senior employees.
professional qualification; reintegration; voluntary lay-off