Working life is becoming more and more complex. The use of technology in the workplace is no longer an innovative luxury, it is rather a necessity. Electronics and technology is everywhere today: in the cars, at the office, at home. We are conscious that new technologies are constantly impacting our workplace environments. On the one side, innovative advances in technology have brought new ways of interactions between employees and businesses, as much as they have facilitated communication and collaboration in the workplace. On the other side, the application of technology advancements requires more and more specialised skills, training, and industry knowledge that everyone should acquire. While the ability to use technology is an essential skill in the dynamic workplace environment, the learning of skills and competencies becomes crucial to guarantee the success of works carried out. 

Businesses, from the one side, require people with the right skills and competencies that are adaptable to the new requirements of the job market. Individuals, on the other side, should be in possession of the right job skills that are currently required in the market place. Some of the digital skills that are in high demand in the job market today are: problem-solving, critical thinking, improved communications skills, and knowledge management. In an ideal labour market, employees would find the job they need, and businesses would hire people with the exact skills required to perform the job. However, in the real world, which is far from the ideal labour market, it happens that in most of the cases the demand and supply side are not balanced. This in fact produces a situation of “skills mismatch” that is used to describe the gap that exists between an individual’s job skills and the demands of the job market. Skills mismatches can be “horizontal” when the type of the education or skills are inappropriate for the job, or “vertical” when an individual who is overeducated is employed in a job that requires lower levels of education. 

For a small country like Malta, matching the skills with the right job has become more demanding and in the recent years it has become a big challenge as outlined to me by a delegation of business people who met me in Brussels during a visit organised by the Malta Business Bureau. At this point, the educational system is helping young people to gain qualifications at the end of their studies, however, it needs to  also help them to properly address their needs in terms of skills and competencies that are required in the job market. Of course, more jobs are being created, but the majority of these jobs require skills that people in Malta might not necessarily have. This is especially a problem since, as we have noted, more and more non-Maltese nationals are being employed in Malta. The main question that I raise here is: ‘How do we guarantee that we equip Maltese nationals with the right skills and competencies so that they become more employable in the job market? How can we provide an environment for more training for skills that underpin the requirements of our economy?’

In particular, the introduction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Malta through the launch of MCAST by a Nationalist government, has brought tangible benefits to every citizen that wants to acquire skills and competencies, which cannot be achieved through the traditional educational system. The establishment of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) – the European agency specialising in the development of VET – has positively contributed to provide training for all Europeans regarding comprehensive qualifications that are required to meet the changing needs of the job market. 

I want to ensure that Maltese nationals are the main beneficiaries from participation to Vocational Education and Training qualifications. Vocational education and training can positively contribute to provide higher wages and better career prospects for those who undertake this qualification. It is already confirmed that people who complete Vocational Education and Training programmes are able to find a job within two years of the completion of such programme. This in turn, can bring wider benefits that will spill over to all of society as a whole. As it is often times the case, people that undertake vocational education and training are able to increase their performance at work, and they also pass their knowledge and skills to their colleagues. The expansion of VET systems, apprenticeships and other types of work-based learning will ease the transition to the labour market and provide the necessary skills to meet with the job standards, which in turn, will help businesses to employ people who are able to perform better, in more productive ways.

The future of our economy depends on our people. Vocational education and training becomes an important issue in the light of technology advancements and ongoing changes in the labour market. Our main objective is to invest in our people today, which in the future will make it easier for Maltese nationals to get access to the job market, because the skills they learn through VET education are easily transferable in the marketplace. That is why we need to ensure that high quality VET training is provided to Maltese nationals, and we must ensure that discussions around this topic continue to evolve constructively.