The 1^st Conference that brings education and work on the same platform was held at The Westin Dragonara Resort Hotel on Friday 18^th November, 2016. Business Leaders Malta (BLM) were the brains behind this initiative. BLM is a fully-fledged company with distinct brands and specialises in market and employee research, accredited training programmes and conference management.

The conference brought together experts from the field of education and work. Over the years we have been used to hearing about the lack of synchronisation between the fields of education and work with employers often highlighting that students are not being adequately prepared to handle the challenges of the 21^st century labour market. The world we are living in shows us that the labour market is becoming more complex and the decisions young people make while in education are becoming ever more important for the type of future they will live.

BLM has decided to address this head on by organising a one day Conference bringing key experts to discuss a number of themes from which the country will be in a position to take action. The main speaker of this event was Dr Anthony Mann, Director of Policy & Research and Deputy Chief Executive at the London-based Charity, Education and Employers Taskforce who has vast International experience in the area.

The main areas discussed included skills gaps, the relevance of educational programmes to the world of work, apprenticeship schemes and the need for industry and the educational to come closer together. BLM aims to publish the main deliberations from this conference, so that the education authorities and private industry have a good basis on which to work from.

Morgan Parnis, CEO - Business Leaders Malta stated that “BLM channels all the energy, enthusiasm and investment it can muster into every conference. Our goal is to hold a meaningful event that is as valuable as it is memorable.We work relentlessly to line up speakers with inspiring stories, knowledge, and insightful learning experiences to share. The people who step onto our stage are experts, entrepreneurs and executives with remarkable careers. They bring pearls of wisdom and accounts of perseverance. We are thrilled that this event has attracted over 200 delegates from various sectors of society. This augurs well for the future where we aim to undertake initiatives that align education and work. It is only in this way that the missing link is unravelled.”