33% of fifth form students do not make it past the SEC exams either because they are not academically inclined or they are just not interested in pursuing their education further. This is a worrying problem that all stakeholders including Government, educators and private sector need to address, said Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.
Mr Bartolo was speaking during the official launch of “Spark the Change”, a three-week programme of events organised by Microsoft Malta in collaboration with the Director of Curriculum for Church schools, MISCO Malta and Holistic Institute of Technology and a number of guidance teachers for 2,000 Form 4 students in Church schools. The events to be held over the coming three weeks will address the students’ education in relation to employment opportunities that are available in the market now and what will be available in the coming few years.
Minister Bartolo outlined that today, Government and the private sector are already offering a lot of opportunities to students however, these opportunities are available to those who equip themselves with the right skills. One of the most urgent issues that our country, as in the rest of Europe, needs to be addressed is that of youth unemployment. The Minister remarked that the curriculum needs to be constantly revised in order to be in synch with the demands of the industry and that guidance teachers need to collaborate more with HR specialists who can advise them on the skills that the industry is looking for in those looking for employment.
For three whole weeks, groups of students will be attending daily sessions at the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Skyparks where they will not only be exposed to the latest technology such as tablets, productivity tools and cloud technology but will be also equipped with a broader base of skills that local and international employers are currently asking for. Topics will include IT Skills, soft-skills and networking - all of which will be delivered by experts in the industry like Holistic Institute of Technology and MISCO Malta.
Students will leave with tangible results in hand namely certification of attendance, School Leaving Certificate (SLC) credits, 1,000 Microsoft Office Specialist MOS, Certificates (pending exam) 500 t-shirts for Digi-Girlz (focusing on creating excitement around STEM subjects specifically for girls) Learning Journal for each student (ppt, skydrive, outlook accounts) and Learning Resource kits. Other partners such as Nectar have taken proactive steps to include this in their CSR program and have very generously sponsored all the refreshments and snacks for 2,000 students and teachers.
“This project takes the students outside their school environment and brings them closer to the needs of today’s industry to help them define their career and life goals,” explained Takuya Hirano, Microsoft’s general manager for the multi-country region within Microsoft Central and Eastern Europe. “This program is unlike any other that we have run in Malta or even other countries in the region – in as much as it is a deep engagement that will lead to more awareness on the resources we offer to Maltese students,” said Mr Hirano.
The three-week programme is offering 1,000 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) vouchers available to students who want to take the opportunity to sit for the exam and get further certification. As a follow-up and extension to the program Microsoft will host specific workshops for both parents and students and will also offer ECDL upgrade courses and workshops to help the students get accreditation and pass the certification exam.
Looking to the future, students would do well to look out for MISCO’s internship/summer jobs program which they will run in the summer of 2014 and also a competition called Schoollab that we are running in collaboration with the British Council which will be launched in November. This competition will invite young students to take an interest in STEM subjects (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) and share their knowledge with a broader audience in a fun and interactive way.