Helping trainees, employers make the right match

Ever Since the launching of the Job Experience Scheme (JES) in April 2001, 40 per cent of the scheme's young participants have been enrolled full-time by the employers who tested their employment talents and adaptability by means of the scheme.

Stephanie Schembri was one of the first three young participants - the other two being Josef Calleja and Adrian Attard - to enter the Job Experience Scheme. They spent their JES period at the General Soft Drinks Co Ltd. Stephanie has been enrolled full-time with the company and is currently following a University diploma course related to her job.

JES gives young school-leavers experience in a working environment. It aims to improve the young person's potential employability facilitating effective integration into the labour market.

After successfully completing the Job Start Initiative, if still unemployed, registrants are introduced to the Job Experience Scheme to undergo a combination of in-house training and work experience.

Registrants aged 16 and over, with no work experience, are attached to a sponsoring organisation for a maximum duration of 13 consecutive weeks based on a 20-hour week. The ETC pays them an allowance to cover their costs. JES employers are not to pay any wages or NI contributions.

General Soft Drinks Co Ltd general manager Maria Micallef said JES was advantageous to employers as it provided the labour market with young workers who will get used to the working environment. It facilitates the integration of school-leavers into the working environment.

"When we were approached by ETC for placements within our company we had identified potential positions that could be filled by the JES applicants.

"The 13-week attachment then helped us evaluate the participants. Stephanie excelled in her competence and willingness to learn and hence was employed on a full-time basis by the company.

Would she encourage other employers to emulate GSD and participate in JES?

"I believe that the more companies participate in this scheme the more effective it will be become, and hence the more beneficial it will be to all the employers. When a company participates in the JES scheme it gives itself an opportunity to evalute the participants closely.

"Even if it does not employ any of the participants it would have helped enrich the labour market into which the company will eventually need to tap in."

Stephanie initially thought of becoming a salesgirl, preferably in a boutique, after leaving school. But she has changed her mind now.

"During my JES attachment at the General Soft Drinks Co Ltd I was trained as a laboratory assistant. I like this job a lot and would not change it for another.

"Following my JES experience many doors have been opened to me. This JES attachment gave me the opportunity to experience and learn the work of quality assurance in a leading soft drink company."

Stephanie's manageress Ruth Vassallo said: "Stephanie's input in our lab has been more than satisfactory. She can be trained and she is very diligent in what she is asked to do. She is also flexible in working extra hours when necessary to fulfil her job completely.

"Stephanie has turned out to be a candidate who, given the opportunity, can be trained on the job to perform satisfactorily. Her behaviour and attitude is also very good.

"The JES scheme gave us the opportunity to evaluate the prospective employee and eventually to hire her full-time and invest in her further training to continuously develop this employee."

Employers who would like to recruit young job seekers on the Job Experience Scheme may contact the Youth Section on tel: 2220-1208, 2220-1209, 2220-1210.

Mr Ivan Said is senior communication executive at the Employment and Training Corporation