The Youth Guarantee programme will include three initiatives aimed at helping unemployed youths to further their studies or enrol in skills courses, offering them a brighter future, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo announced today.  

Mr Bartolo said that the government will be offering free revision classes in mathematics, Maltese, physics and English to post secondary students who do not do well in their O’Levels. There will also be revision classes for MCAST students, who will be able to sit for resits without losing a year. Youths will also be offered vocational courses enabling them to go to MCAST.

Also speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the government will lead the Youth Guarantee programme with a dual approach: preventive and reactive. The Education Ministry will be identifying potential early school-leavers before they actually quit school. Youths who are neither studying nor working will receive an action plan. Those with lower academic abilities will be encouraged to take vocational or skills courses. Those who do not favour this option will be offered job exposure experiences.

Dr Muscat noted that up to a third of secondary students leave school without possessing the necessary academic skills and up to two thirds of early school leavers become inactive. “These youths usually struggle in the labour market. That is why the government is embarking on the measures announced by the Education Minister.”

Whilst noting that youth unemployment is relatively low in Malta, the Prime Minister insisted that the Maltese system still rejects youths who do not do well in school. And these youths cannot be dependent on social benefits from such a young age. The Youth Guarantee presents its own challenges. “The Youth Guarantee is expensive, but having hundreds if not thousands of unemployed youths is even more expensive. Furthermore, the results will take years to show. But we will be giving youths the support they need and deserve. We will give them the ambition to move forward in life.” 

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Government persists in ignoring the elephant in the room - PN  

Government continues to ignore the elephant in the room. During Labour’s first year in Government the number of young people who are out of a job, are not receiving any form of education and are not in training, has increased from 4,800 to 5,800, the PN said in a statement.

During last year’s election campaign, Joseph Muscat had guaranteed that with Labour, young people would be assured either a job, training placements or education. Not only has this promise not been fulfilled, but the number of young people out of a job, and who are not in training or education, has shot up by a 1,000 – a staggering 20% increase – in just twelve months. Hardly encouraging for young people.

Joseph Muscat’s job guarantee has so far only materialised for Labour’s inner circle of friends, while 1,000 more young people are now without training, education or employment. These 1,000 young people are surely not witnessing a better Malta.

On the eve of another election, Labour is now attempting to play the same game it pulled off a year ago.

Meanwhile, the Labour Government continues to divide and rule without reaching a consensus with the Opposition on a way forward to spur job creation and a stronger economy.

The Opposition has continuously expressed its willingness to contribute towards a national policy to catalyse job creation, however this Government has consistently refused to accept the Opposition’s offer to work together on such a sensitive sector, that affects the country’s economic and social well-being as a whole.  

The Nationalist Party fully supports all measures aimed at reducing youth unemployment and unemployment in general.