Over a two-year period it is envisaged that some 8,000 students will benefit from over 100 new training courses in 10 industry sectors, to be offered by MCAST as part of a project launched yesterday.
The EU-funded project will see over 100 new training courses offered in beverages, financial services, food, furniture, ICT, infrastructure, maritime, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, plastics and printing.
The project, entitled Linking Industrial Needs and Vocational Education and Training, aims to address the need of the country to invest in an adaptable workforce in order to enable local industries to remain competitive in the local economy.
It was designed to provide training specifically designed to address the skill shortages identified, in collaboration with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.
There are three partners in the project: The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, with the collaboration of the Institute of Tourism Studies and the Malta Qualifications Council.
The courses were identified by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, after an extensive consultation process with the different industry sectors.
“Malta’s ability to survive and grow in the current adverse global economic conditions relies strongly on its ability to adapt to a changing economic environment, which in turn depends on the flexibility and quality of its labour force. Through this project, the country will not only be upgrading the skills of its people, but will also match these skills with the requirements of numerous sectors,” MCAST president Joseph Farrugia said.
Mr Farrugia emphasised the importance of industry representatives being directly involved in the design of the courses, making sure that they truly provide the skills that the industry requires and that make individuals more employable.
The second phase of this project, which will be open to workers and job seekers, was originally intended to provide training to some 400 individuals. Nevertheless, this figure is expected to increase significantly as the number of those employers who expressed interest in encouraging their staff to participate was much higher than expected.
The first phase of the project revolved around the setting up of groups of representatives from each industry sector to identify the qualifications and skills that current and future workers in those sectors required; both for enhanced employment prospects and to ensure the sector’s continued growth.
Sector groups made up of industry representatives, two Vocational Education and Training experts per sector, MCAST representatives and E-Cubed consultants as moderators identified the current and foreseen skill requirements.
Sector-specific surveys were distributed among some 145 local companies, so that more information could be garnered about the training needs of Maltese workers, Amanda Borg from E-Cubed Consultants explained.
Ms Borg went on to say that some 30% of the Maltese workforce is currently employed in one of these 10 sectors. In all, some 5.7% of Maltese are in lifelong learning, a figure which comes in below the EU average of 9.1%, and the EU target of 15%.
Analysis of the trends and developments in industry was carried out in those 10 sectors and the potential skill gaps and shortages of the present workforce identified, as was the survey outcome, before specific training modules were designed.
Ms Borg said they found that while some 70% of employers said they actively encourage employees to follow lifelong learning courses, some 80% indicated that they consider such continuous training as an important factor in career advancement.
Project leader and MCAST deputy director Ronald Curmi said that for each module a course structure has been defined, which includes the units available, the prerequisites, the rules for certification and the assessment strategy.
Courses will be held twice weekly, in the evenings, and are expected to start in March. For more information those interested can log on to www.mcast.edu.mt, email [email protected] or call on 2398-7704.