A new project called Equal, which totals e1.065 million and is being partly funded by the European Social Fund, was launched yesterday by Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina.

The programme brings together various social partners including Appogg, the Housing Authority, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, Malta Enterprise and WasteServ Malta, with its primary aim being the protection of vulnerable groups and their re-integration into society.

The Equal programme tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of inequality and discrimination in the labour market. It also seeks to implement measures to improve access to employment and training opportunities for people who are either inactive or unemployed.

Minister Cristina said that this programme fits in perfectly with the country’s National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion and the National Employment Strategy. She said that another important aspect of the Equal initiative is the exchange of best practices between different countries.

Housing Authority chairperson Marisa Micallef explained that the authority would be taking on 15 youths who had been released from institutional care and offering them training, work experience and eventual accommodation. This programme is called Headstart.

Another initiative within the Equal programme is being taken up by Malta Enterprise where unemployed people are encouraged to start up a new business. ME provides training and the successful individuals will be given the opportunity to apply for a grant to allow them to implement their business ideas.

National Commission for the Promotion of Equality chairperson Sina Bugeja said that the Equal Opportunities project promotes equal opportunities through empowerment. She said that the project includes the compilation of a report that will assist in introducing a policy to determine how to bring more inactive women into employment.

Another project within the Equal initiative is Asylum Seekers, which will assist refugees and other humanitarian cases by providing support, guidance and possibly work placements or apprenticeships. The courses cover topics of a social and vocational nature and are also offered in English to enable participants who wish to integrate into a European country if there is no possibility of reintegration in their country of origin.