Apprenticeship... the way forward

The ETC recently launched a publication - Apprenticeship in Malta: Results of a study among apprentices and employers - which carries the results of-a research carried out among apprentices and employers who participated in apprenticeship schemes over the past few years.

The study, designed and co-ordinated by ETC's Research and Development Division, was conducted mainly to assist the corporation in providing good quality services for apprentices and also expand the information on apprenticeships currently available in Malta.

Apprenticeship has been in existence for quite a number of years. In the more remote past, apprentices who wished to learn a trade or form of art used to go personally to the artist or tradesman's workshop and observe him at work. They would also have the chance to try out and practise their skills by creating works of art or producing objects themselves.

This traditional form of apprenticeship has been in existence for quite a long time and was found to be quite an effective mode of learning. However recent developments have led towards a more structured form of apprenticeship.

Modern apprenticeship, such as that practised in Malta at present, involves a more structured approach to training that involves both education in vocational education institutions and training and work experience sponsored by employers.

To participate in apprenticeship schemes, students would need to have formal qualifications, like a secondary school certificate in a number of subjects. They would need to participate in education and apprenticeship training in their chosen area of study for a stipulated period of time.

A formal agreement between the apprentice and the employer lays down the rights and obligations of both parties during the duration of apprenticeship.

Statistics compiled by the ETC reveal that over the past few years the annual intake of apprentices has been on the increase. In 1995, the intake stood at 287, whereas in 2000 the number was 628. These figures may partly be a reflection of the reforms which took place in vocational education and training in general.

Prior to the setting up of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology in 2000, apprenticeship and vocational education fell mainly under the direct responsibility of trade schools and a number of small scale training institutions managed by the Education Division.

In the late Nineties, great efforts were taken to boost the entire vocational education system and encourage more students to take up the vocational route. Such efforts included setting up MCAST and more renewed interest in apprenticeship by a number of key stakeholders.

The management of apprenticeship falls mainly under the direct responsibility of the ETC. The corporation is responsible for promoting apprenticeship schemes, assisting apprentices find suitable training placements, monitoring on-the-job training and ensuring that both apprentices and sponsors abide by the conditions of apprenticeship.

MCAST and ITS provide the necessary vocational education and training to apprentices while the Education Division pays maintenance grants to apprentices.

Findings of the research project on apprenticeships reveal that generally apprenticeship has positive effects on the employment prospects of apprentices. Most people end up in full-time employment after apprenticeship and few remain jobless.

Around 60 per cent of apprentices tend to find employment directly related to their chosen trade and/or occupation while 70 per cent remain in their first employment spell for at least one year.

Most apprentices and employers value apprenticeship. The majority of apprentices interviewed said they would recommend it to others. Employers view the training received at the workplace as crucial to the overall educational attainment of apprentices and in most cases chose to participate in apprenticeship schemes mostly to provide work experience for apprentices with the possibility of having them continue to work for their company even after apprenticeship.

Despite these positive outcomes research results also tend to point towards possible improvements. Firstly, schools and those responsible for vocational education and training can provide more and better information to prospective students.

Indeed most of the respondents who participated in the survey were males, came from state schools, had a working-class background and obtained medium-to-low qualifications.

To attract students from different social backgrounds, vocational education and apprenticeship should be made more attractive and promoted more as a possible alternative to academic education.

New callings may be introduced that would lead to a wider selection of training possibilities. This is particularly relevant when it comes to attracting female students to apprenticeship. Survey results have shown that most females opt for apprenticeship in personal service trades (mainly hairdressing) or industrial design callings, while most males preferred callings related to engineering.

The availability of a wider range of new callings, especially in areas related to the upcoming services industry, like financial services, may lead to a higher uptake of apprenticeships, particularly by females, and eventually a more diversified pool of well-trained individuals ready to enter the labour market.

Employers as well as apprentices commented on the training provided during apprenticeship. Particular factors identified by respondents included the need for more involvement by employers in the training offered to apprentices both at the vocational education institution and at the workplace, the provision of financial assistance to employers who sponsor apprentices and the need for clear links between the training offered at the workplace and that offered at the vocational education institutions.

Respondents, particularly apprentices, said the working conditions of apprentices should be monitored better and training offered by employers at the workplace should be improved.

Participants in the research forum on apprenticeships organised by the ETC earlier this year also presented similar suggestions. The need for more flexible training which would help apprentices acquire multiple skills was highlighted.

Apprentices should not be solely trained in their chosen trade or occupation but should be provided with more holistic training that covers areas like personal development, writing and reporting skills as well as management and business-related skills and information on employment legislation.

Moreover, apprenticeship should be promoted better and presented in a novel way by breaking free from traditional views of occupations. Participants also mentioned the need for more and better monitoring to ensure that apprentices are indeed interested in learning and are ready to collaborate with their employer while employers do not exploit apprentices and consider them as an opportunity for cheap labour.

Indeed, a more organised and coherent apprenticeship system could lead towards higher rates of completion of apprenticeship schemes by young people. In fact, the survey showed that almost 28 per cent of apprentices interviewed did not complete their apprenticeship.

Reasons for non completion are varied, however, most respondents said they left apprenticeship due to not finding a suitable sponsor, bad working conditions or inadequate training.

Other reasons for non-completion identified by employers include having apprentices who realise that they made the wrong choice of occupation or even poor performance.

These factors call for a review of services currently offered to apprentices as well as employers during apprenticeship. The support which is currently provided to both employers and apprentices might require particular changes if more employers and apprentices are to be attracted towards the use of apprenticeship.

These and other interesting findings are presented in the ETC research publication. The publication is of particular interest to educators, policymakers, researchers, students and all those who in some way or other are involved in the provision of vocational education and training. Free copies of the publication may be obtained directly from the corporation's Research and Development Division.

Ms Borg is senior executive at the Research and Development Division at the ETC. She holds a First degree and Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Malta.