The Department of Further Studies and Adult Education of the Education Division has recently launched A Study of Young People following Basic Skills Courses in Malta (ISBN-13: 978-99909-74-31-7/ 10: 99909-74-31-4).

The research team who conducted this study was led by Professor Charles L. Mifsud of the University of Malta. The co-authors are Ms Rowena Grech of the Literacy Unit, Mr David Muscat of MCAST and Dr Peter Rudd. The book was launched under the auspices of Education Minister Louis Galea, who wrote the foreword. Mr Anthony Degiovanni, director, MCAST, Mr Paul A. Attard, chairman, MCAST, and Mr Frank Edwards, CEO, were also present.

Dr Sarah Golden of the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) of the UK, a well-known researcher in the area of social inclusion, referred to this publication: "In the contexts of lifelong learning and inclusion now evident across Europe and beyond, it is vital that education systems should successfully engage those 16- to 18-year-olds whose previous experiences of education may have been negative in order to equip them with the basic skills and life skills necessary to play a more positive part in employment and society generally.

"Professor Mifsud and his team have drawn on both the existing literature in this area and on new data collected from face-to-face interviews with a sample of young people taking basic skills courses in Malta, to provide useful and practical insights into how this issue can be addressed. This book is essential reading for all those who wish to improve the educational experiences and life chances of this group of young people."