The competency model is a central aspect in educational reform (Law of Directives and Bases of Education/1996), particularly in professional education, and its main objective was to strengthen the relationship between the school and the market. This paper presents the partial results of a study which examines the training and insertion of the Mid-Level Environmental Technician at middle level in the labor market, focusing on technical courses on the environment held in the State of Rio de Janeiro: Colégio Estadual Presidente Kennedy (Belford Roxo), Colégio Agrícola Nilo Peçanha (Pinheiral), Colégio Pedro II (Rio de Janeiro). To this end, we analyzed documents (Pedagogical Political Project) and responses to a questionnaire addressed to students in the fi nal year of the Technical Course in Environmental Studies at Colégio Agrícola Nilo Peçanha. Initially, it highlights the importance of school management for achieving the proposed objectives and meeting the expectations of students, particularly with regard to the creation of an educational environment that is conducive to the development of competencies and skills for resolving the problems found in the labor market.