Referring to the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, Dr Galea explained that soon, the council will be able accredit students who have no certification, through an evaluation that takes into account academic, technical and other skills.

The minister was speaking at a press conference launching a study carried out by the Employment and Training Corporation on local apprenticeship schemes.

In this respect, the minister said that “it is time we re-evaluate the regulations for apprenticeship schemes,” saying that some of them date back some 50 years.

The minister praised the corporation’s work, and explained that apprenticeship is crucial for students because it enhances the knowledge they receive at school.

The study gives an indication of the general response to the schemes both from students and employers. In fact, a total of 367 apprentices and 160 employers were interviewed.

Dr Galea said the lack of change in the apprenticeship’s regulation was anomalous because they had remained the same for a long time while many related institutions had evolved. He mentioned the Malta College for Art Science and Technology (Mcast) and the Institute for Tourism Studies as examples.

Among the recommendations made was the need for more cooperation among organisations, that apprentices should be given more information beforehand and that there should be an analysis of the type of instruction students receive, both at work and at school.

Some participants said they would have liked to have more information about the schemes beforehand, while some employers indicated that they prefer training their own employees rather than employ apprentices fearing that these may not be as productive or drop the course.

Most of the female apprentices interviewed chose subjects like hairdressing or industrial design, while male respondents chose electronic and mechanical subjects.

The employers came from a variety of areas including the manufacturing and catering sectors.