Around 20 business studies students from the G. Despott Verdala Junior Lyceum were given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the process of business start-ups during a visit to the Commerce Division. The Commerce Division is divided into three main directorates: Industrial Property Registration Directorate; Trade Services Directorate and the Small Business and Crafts Directorate. The students were given a presentation on the division and the services offered and were then taken to visit specific offices within the division.

During their visit, the students were addressed by Edwin Vassallo, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and the Self-Employed, who expressed his satisfaction at their interest and encouraged them to consider a business start-up as a viable alternative to employment.

He said that “commercial activity in Malta is on the increase, and there are a lot of opportunities available for those persons who want to start their own business. Self-employment can lead to personal and commercial success and while it is true that every person’s ultimate aim, whether in self-employment or not, is to make money, we must remember that our priority must be to provide a service. We must not forget our corporate social responsibility, and we must have a strict code of ethics in all we do.”