PhD in Public Policy and Master in Education.

Coordinating professor of definitive appointment of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, to which he presided from 1996 to 2005. At the Higher School of Education of the same Institute, he has been in charge of scientific and pedagogical direction and coordination for several years. He has also held teaching positions at ISCTE-IUL since 2012, where he is a researcher at the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES), and has been teaching at the Portuguese Catholic University for some years.

He was a permanent member of the Scientific and Pedagogical Council of Continuing Teacher Training from 1996 to 2003.

He was Secretary of State for Education from 2005 to 2009 and Secretary of State for Employment and Vocational Training from 2009 to 2011, respectively from the XVII and XVIII Constitutional Governments.