Students who finished the Real Estate Training Award Course provided by JobsPlus last November are still waiting for the scheme’s promised 75% refund after six months.

Several students who contacted the Malta Independent have expressed frustration at the situation, saying that they are still waiting for their 75% refund of the €750 they paid to pursue the course, for which they have applied through TCTC.

The course took around two months to complete, from August to November of last year.

The course, which is necessary for any real estate agent to obtain their license, was being advertised under the ‘Training Pays’ scheme, which is a Job plus initiative.

When they asked for their reimbursement by the Training Pays department within JobPlus last February, students were told that their application for reimbursement could not be processed for the time being.

“However, kindly be informed that for the time-being your TPS application cannot be processed for a reason that goes beyond Jobsplus.”

The course is advertised on the Malta Developers Association’s website as being a collaboration between it and the Institute of Tourism.

The Malta Independent contacted both organisations in search for explanations.

In reply the MDA said that in an agreement it signed with ITS, payments administration was not part of the deal.

“Given its expertise and client base in the sector, MDA signed an agreement with ITS by which it was involved in the general administration, marketing, and bookings of this training course which is delivered to people in Real Estate as well as to those who are interested in working in this sector. However, the refunds/ grants process was amongst the aspects that were administered by other authorities and not MDA.”

On the other hand, ITS said that, “There is currently a rapid process being carried out so that payments may be issued to the students who participated in the Real Estate Training Award Course.”

The newsroom also contacted by email TCTC, Jobplus and its Training Pays scheme department but has so far not received any replies.