The National Skills Council was
recently setup by means of Subsidiary Legislation 327.547 of the Laws of Malta
with the aim to first review the past and present available skills within our
labour work force and evaluate the changes required to meet current and future
needs. The main aim being that to minimise the skill gaps that exist in some of
the demanding and rewarding sectors such as the digital, technical and
financial sectors where Malta is, and can maintain, excellence. It is the
council’s task to recommend policy changes to the government that would reduce
these gaps and prepare the labour force with the right skills, to meet the
future challenges.
The National Skills Council
brings together:
Representative from the University of Malta;
Representative from the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology;
Representative from the Jobsplus Corporation;
Representative from the Institute for Tourism Studies;
Representative from the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry;
Representative from the Malta Enterprise;
Representative of civil society;
Representative from amongst lifelong learning specialists;
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Education;
Other four persons who possess leadership qualities, and have an understanding of education and the labour market within the context of an open, democratic, fair, prosperous and inclusive society.
It is clear that the present global dynamic economic situation,
emphasizes the need for a more responsive education and ongoing training. In
the Maltese context, the size of the labour force and the challenges of
industry to find the right skills is also magnified by its insularity.
Currently Malta has the lowest ever experienced unemployment rate, thanks to
the present healthy economic situation, and due to this, some employers are
also facing difficulties in engaging workers with the right skills. For our
education and lifelong learning systems to be more effective, we need to;
Create systems which acknowledge other forms of learning,
Expose students to the world of work,
Motivate the workforce towards a commitment of continuous education.