Study reveals shortcomings in apprenticeship schemes

A study on apprenticeship in Malta carried out by the Employment and Training Corporation suggests there exists poor integration between the classroom and the workplace under the current system.

Interviews carried out with employers who took on apprentices show they were not being involved in the preparation of the training programme followed or in the course work undertaken at vocational institutions. Moreover, employers were not being given prior instructions on the type of training of the apprentice.

The ETC report supports claims made by researchers that off-the-job training is not being in line with the present and future requirements of the local industry, mainly because the majority of courses have been imported from foreign learning centres without consultation with the industry that will take up apprentices.

When interviewed, most apprentices said they wanted theoretical course work to be more up-to-date and of a higher quality. They remarked that training at the workplace should be more related to their course content. Respondents also expressed concern about the working conditions they experienced at the workplace as apprentices. A number of apprentices said that sponsoring companies often "exploited" them.

The report, which seeks to paint a picture of what apprentices and employers think about the quality of training and whether apprentices are likely to find a job when they finish their course, contains some interesting eye-openers.

Researchers show that attracting students to take up apprenticeships has become increasingly difficult due to the increased interest in higher education, the modernisation of industrial work, demographic development and the decreasing number of training agreements.

The ETC report shows that Malta has experienced an increase in the number of students enrolling in apprenticeship in the past few years. Statistics show that numbers have gone up from 287 students in 1995 to 628 in 2000.

The data also shows there is a far lower participation of females in the Extended Skill Training Scheme (ESTS) and the Technician Apprenticeship Scheme (TAS).

The establishment of the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology in 2000 has helped the number of females taking up vocational courses to grow, with most females preferring business and commerce courses.

Employment prospects for apprentices on completion of their apprenticeship are usually considered as positive. Respondents of the ETC survey, both those who successfully completed courses and even drop-outs, are presently employed (79 per cent) or self-employed (5.1 per cent).

The number of females in employment is lower mainly because most of them decide to quit the labour market in favour of family responsibilities.

The survey showed that, more or less, those who finished their apprenticeship found a job within less than a year.

The report concluded that very few apprentices opt to set up their own business and recommends that courses include training on how apprentices can do so.

Only a small number decide to continue studying, mainly due to the fact that "apprenticeships and vocational education in general are not yet recognised by other education establishments, such as the university, that offer higher technical and academic courses".

The report also states that in order to raise the quality and uptake of apprenticeships in Malta better information must be provided to the public while incentives to encourage employers to take up apprentices must be launched. Moreover, an analysis of the courses should be conducted regularly to assess which trades or skills are still in demand and whether new ones should be introduced.