With a population of just over 400,000, the Republic of Malta is an island nation in the centre of the Mediterranean whose main industry is tourism, followed by financial services and manufacturing. Malta has no natural resources, in fact its only resource is its people, and with a land area of 316 km², it is the third most densely populated nation on earth. In 2010, the Maltese government published “Malta Vision 2015 and Beyond: A Path to a Knowledge Based Economy”. In this strategy, the government identified seven sectors “… for development which will enable the Maltese Islands to build on the existing comparative advantage and achieve centres of excellence by 2015”. The seven sectors identified (Financial services, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Tourism, Manufacturing and related services, Health, Education and Gozo) are fundamental for the Maltese economy, thus considered as the pillars on which further development must be made. In this strategy, the government drafted the targets to be reached in order to achieve the centres of excellence by 2015.

In short, according to “Malta Vision 2015”, the government proposes to make Malta a reputable global financial services centre. In ICT, the government sees the potential that Malta can become a regional hub of excellence. The multimillion-flagship project, SmartCity Malta, with work currently underway, will offer many employment and research opportunities. In the tourism sector, given the vast heritage and the potential of becoming a centre for international events, Malta can upgrade its tourism product and attract higher value added tourism. As regards education and health, the government believes that through the investment in the past few years, Malta can project itself as a regional education and health hub. In the manufacturing sector, the Maltese economy ought to specialise in high-value added products and not mass produced items; research and development must play a bigger role. Gozo, given its uniqueness and character as a small, secluded island, can embrace the principles of sustainable development, thus looking at the environment not from a passive provider of materials, but an active partner capable of influencing economic development.

Although experts, with the aid of statistics and political vision, drew these strategies, it would be useful for policy makers to discuss such strategies with workers before implementing them. Having the stakeholders (employees and employers) on board, will not only help in fine-tuning such strategies for practical implementation, but will also give them a national dimension, thus making it easier for people to identify themselves with. It is easier to participate in something when people feel part of it rather than when it is imposed on them.

Workplace learning is the way workers learn while at work. Learning can happen in a formal environment, such as attending a training course, or in an informal environment, such as observing, reflecting and discussing. Informal learning can be planned or incidental. Not only does workplace learning provide the opportunity to utilise newly acquired knowledge in a practical way, it also permits individuals and companies to keep abreast with the changes in the world labour markets.

On a national level, the promotion of workplace learning can be dealt with through two main channels: the local channel and the EU channel. The EU’s main organ in this regard is the EU Life-Long Learning Programme. This is an EU-wide programme focusing on education (from pre-primary to adulthood) and training (academic and vocational). There are three sub programmes that are directly related to workplace learning: the Leonardo da Vinci Programme, the Grundtvig Programme and the Transversal Programme. The Leonardo da Vinci Programme focuses on workers’ exchanges in different countries, the Grundtvig Programme offers financial assistance to adults who want to update their skills or learn new trades and the Transversal Programme covers activities in four areas, out of which two relate to workplace learning: awareness and access to foreign language teaching and development of ICT-based content and services. The benefits the country can reap from these programmes will be discussed later in this paper. Now, proposals that can enhance workplace learning will be examined.

Observation and reflection are two traits that are not culturally ingrained in the Maltese labour mindset. These two traits must be promoted among employees and employers to stress their importance in learning. Workers in the education, tourism, ICT, financial services, manufacturing and health sectors must be encouraged to observe, and subsequently reflect on their performances because giving oneself time to think about one’s actions leads to learning. Job rotation can, for example, induce observation and reflection. Educators (such as teachers, and learning assistants) can rotate and spend two semesters in two different schools, bankers can spend a financial year in two different branches or departments, health care professionals, who most of the time work under pressure, must be given time to reflect upon their work. Job rotation in different clinics or hospitals can enhance their observation skills and once workers have spent some time in a different environment, they must be encouraged to share the pros and cons of their experiences. The same principle of job rotation (with emphasis on observation and reflection) can apply to most professions, ranging from tourist related to manufacturing. Job rotation can indirectly lead to higher probability of forming communities of practice, thus facilitating the creation of networks, which in turn help informal knowledge sharing and practical problem solving skills.

Workers in the education, health, financial services and manufacturing sectors must be encouraged to participate in the EU Life-Long Learning Programme either through training or exchanges. Foreign language teachers and ICT professionals must be encouraged to enrol in the Transversal Programme. Employers must make it easier for employees to avail themselves of such opportunities. Besides this, workers employed in sectors forecast to become obsolete in the near future, such as textile and footwear factories should be encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Grundtvig Programme to learn new skills. The government can give tax incentives to businesses such as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and multinational companies that promote the exchange of workers (through the Leonardo da Vinci Programme), because the knowledge gained when working abroad gives employees wider perspectives. Since SMEs represent the backbone of the Maltese economy, special attention must be given to this sector. SMEs like village pharmacists, father-son trade businesses (such as fishermen, farmers, some law firms), corner shops and co-operatives are to be helped in benefiting from EU programmes not through a one-size-fits-all policy, but through a flexible approach adjusted to specific situations. SMEs must be encouraged and financially assisted to invest in knowledge also through formal training, not just through specific EU programmes but also outside Europe. Workplace learning can also be promoted through subsidised memberships to work-related international journals, magazines and/or associations. This perk would be available to everyone, not just administrators. To curb abuse, one can pay half the subscription and the subsidising partner pays the other half.

Gozitans must be made more conscious of their island’s ecological importance. Considering that Malta lacks vegetation due to over-urbanisation, the flora in Gozo must be taken care of. In Gozitan companies, employees are to be taught through formal and informal learning to use more ecological intelligence at work so as to safeguard their asset.

The government is to organise workshops to all companies’ Human Resources (HR) managers to promote workplace learning skills such as formal and informal learning, mentoring (the procedure with which a more experienced employee guides a novice) and cascade training (cascade training involves training a small group who then pass on what they learn to the rest of the workforce). Through these workshops, HR managers will learn more about the benefits of such skills, and the best ways to foster them. Since in Malta over 96 per cent of businesses employ less than 10 people, more than one workshop must be organised so that content will be tailor made for specific audiences. Media coverage can support such concepts, not just through advertising, but also through a national campaign with radio and TV debates on workplace learning. Workplace learning at organisational level can be promoted by placing question boxes at work, asking their employees for feedback not just on work production and quality, but also on workers’ professional development. This could be taken a step further by organising meetings and discussing issues that are of importance to employees and then taking action. A policy of rewarding employees for their contribution to improvements in workplace learning will invoke more interest on the part of the workers and highlight the importance their company places on professional development. Moreover, a working culture where workers learn from mistakes should be upheld.

On a local level, the government can facilitate networking amongst companies, by for example helping in opening resource centres and organising seminars through employment associations. These seminars would follow the demand of companies or employment associations to invite experts in specific fields who are then paid by the government. The talks would be advertised so as to have the widest audience possible. Seminars can also be organised on safety at work – not just physical safety at the workplace or the effects of harassment – but also the consequences if we as an industry fail to do a good job. What would the consequences of a bad education be? What could be the consequences of unregulated financial transactions, bad management of a health policy, careless manufacturing, lame research and development, unsustainable development in Gozo or being rude to tourists? Employment associations and trade unions must be encouraged to share information, for example through the publication of a monthly newsletter where they discuss success stories, give tips, answer questions, share mistakes done in the past and so on.

Workplace learning can benefit everyone, from the bank clerk or bartender, who may feel they are on the periphery of his or her sector, to the medical specialist or computer programmer who needs constant updating. Learning itself has no expiry date and the fact that workers are learning practical knowledge is beneficial for them and their organisation. The recommendations in this report need to be considered and implemented, with particular attention to the work-life balance, because professional development must not come at the expense of personal development. If the recommendations in this paper on workplace learning were to be implemented, this would not only benefit the professional development of workers and companies’ performances but would also create a more competitive economy and society as a whole.

Stephen Rizzo