Serious fun
When Helga Pizzuto first worked as an engineer, workshops were on the whole big, drafty and dirty."The work involved heavy machinery and therefore obviously meant a lot of manual - and sometimes very repetitive - work. Things have changed completely.
When Helga Pizzuto first worked as an engineer, workshops were on the whole big, drafty and dirty.
"The work involved heavy machinery and therefore obviously meant a lot of manual - and sometimes very repetitive - work. Things have changed completely. The Playmobil workshop is air-conditioned and comfortable and the work is mostly computerised."
"Gone are the days of boiler suits!" she laughed.
Ing. Pizzuto is working as a consultant for Playmobil, organising an open day on February 17 during which it hopes to win the hearts and minds of potential employees - and of their parents.
"Too many parents associate engineering and manufacturing with times gone by. And when you mention mechanical engineering they think of car mechanics! Our type of high-tech engineering is only a generation old and the complexity of the processes may not be appreciated, so we want to give the students and their parents a chance to see why technical careers are so exciting," Playmobil CEO Helga Ellul said.
"Most of our technical people have a father who came from a technical background. We have to show others that this is a good career, not just with Playmobil but anywhere in the world."
Playmobil employs around 750 people, of whom 400 work at a technical level. There are now some 400 injection moulding machines on the island and 75 people involved in the higher-skilled mould-making.
The company took on apprentices from the start, introducing them to the then new processes of injection moulding and mould-making, skills that are still highly sought after and very well paid.
Some of the apprentices who joined Playmobil 33 years ago are still there and have moved on to become managers. Others have gone overseas and now run their own companies.
The toy company still takes on 10-15 apprentices every year from the Mcast - most of who stay with the company. It works hand in hand with the college to refine the course curriculum. However, the apprenticeship is seen as a crucial component of the course.
"The first year tends to be an introduction to all the various skills but once they move on to an apprenticeship, the trend is for them to get used to a particular work practice and stay there," Ms Ellul said.
"However, they can always go back to study or proceed with in-house training. Mcast has proved that the university is not the only route. We are talking about a potential annual income at technician level of Lm10,000-12,000, given shift allowances and so on. That is not bad at all for a 19 or 20-year-old."
The open day is aimed at those as young as 12 but the company is also working with schools to encourage guidance teachers to find out more about what the opportunities are.
"Really, all they need is a Maths O-level and a technical mind," chief operating officer Matthias Fauser said.
"They do not need to be academically-inclined: Industry in Malta does not only need engineers with degrees but also technicians with an Mcast Ordinary Technicians' Diploma or a Higher Technicians' Diploma.
"The advantage of the diploma is that prospects are not limited to a particular kind of manufacturing. Good technical skills are increasingly sought after by SMEs too, who need managers with a holistic approach."
The drive to encourage students to Mcast's technical courses and apprenticeship and eventually employment comes as the manufacturing industry moves continuously to higher value-added sectors, which require more technical skills. Playmobil as well as other manufacturing sectors are concerned that the bright lights of Smart City may lure too many students to ICT, leaving a shortage of students going into engineering - at whatever level.
"We cannot forget other sectors as they will otherwise start to face skills shortages," Ing. Pizzuto said.
"The work involved heavy machinery and therefore obviously meant a lot of manual - and sometimes very repetitive - work. Things have changed completely. The Playmobil workshop is air-conditioned and comfortable and the work is mostly computerised."
"Gone are the days of boiler suits!" she laughed.
Ing. Pizzuto is working as a consultant for Playmobil, organising an open day on February 17 during which it hopes to win the hearts and minds of potential employees - and of their parents.
"Too many parents associate engineering and manufacturing with times gone by. And when you mention mechanical engineering they think of car mechanics! Our type of high-tech engineering is only a generation old and the complexity of the processes may not be appreciated, so we want to give the students and their parents a chance to see why technical careers are so exciting," Playmobil CEO Helga Ellul said.
"Most of our technical people have a father who came from a technical background. We have to show others that this is a good career, not just with Playmobil but anywhere in the world."
Playmobil employs around 750 people, of whom 400 work at a technical level. There are now some 400 injection moulding machines on the island and 75 people involved in the higher-skilled mould-making.
The company took on apprentices from the start, introducing them to the then new processes of injection moulding and mould-making, skills that are still highly sought after and very well paid.
Some of the apprentices who joined Playmobil 33 years ago are still there and have moved on to become managers. Others have gone overseas and now run their own companies.
The toy company still takes on 10-15 apprentices every year from the Mcast - most of who stay with the company. It works hand in hand with the college to refine the course curriculum. However, the apprenticeship is seen as a crucial component of the course.
"The first year tends to be an introduction to all the various skills but once they move on to an apprenticeship, the trend is for them to get used to a particular work practice and stay there," Ms Ellul said.
"However, they can always go back to study or proceed with in-house training. Mcast has proved that the university is not the only route. We are talking about a potential annual income at technician level of Lm10,000-12,000, given shift allowances and so on. That is not bad at all for a 19 or 20-year-old."
The open day is aimed at those as young as 12 but the company is also working with schools to encourage guidance teachers to find out more about what the opportunities are.
"Really, all they need is a Maths O-level and a technical mind," chief operating officer Matthias Fauser said.
"They do not need to be academically-inclined: Industry in Malta does not only need engineers with degrees but also technicians with an Mcast Ordinary Technicians' Diploma or a Higher Technicians' Diploma.
"The advantage of the diploma is that prospects are not limited to a particular kind of manufacturing. Good technical skills are increasingly sought after by SMEs too, who need managers with a holistic approach."
The drive to encourage students to Mcast's technical courses and apprenticeship and eventually employment comes as the manufacturing industry moves continuously to higher value-added sectors, which require more technical skills. Playmobil as well as other manufacturing sectors are concerned that the bright lights of Smart City may lure too many students to ICT, leaving a shortage of students going into engineering - at whatever level.
"We cannot forget other sectors as they will otherwise start to face skills shortages," Ing. Pizzuto said.