The objective of this qualitative research was to identify the meaning of The Nursing Worker Professionalization Project (Projeto de Profissionalização dos Trabalhadores da Área da Enfermagem) according to the students of the professional qualification courses and to contribute to the evaluation process of the implementation and development of these courses. Ninety students who participated in both courses took part in the study. The method was participative, using the application of the focus group technique. The thematic analysis of its content evidenced that the project was the opportunity that these individuals had to initiate or to improve their positions in the Nursing job market, amplifying their possibilities for employment. The continuity of the studies allowed for the development of group consciousness, solidarity exercises, mutual co-operation, and team work. As a result, the results may contribute to the evaluation process of the project, since they have demonstrated the importance of the social-political arena of the project in the light of the meaning attributed by a percentage of the social agents involved in its execution.
Nursing education; Credentialing; Public policies