The Employment and Training Corporation plans to create a talent bank – a database of youths with specialised qualifications – to ensure that any requests by employers are met quickly.

The initiative is one of a series in the ETC Youth Employment Strategy for 2008-2009, which was launched at the Hotel Phoenicia today. The purpose of the strategy is to improve the employability and labour market integration of youths.

The employment rate of Maltese youths is on the higher side in Europe, standing at 48.5 per cent, with similar rates for boys (48.8 per cent) and girls (48.1 per cent), according to the Labour Force Survey of July to September 2007. The figure reflects a rise of almost three percentage points over the previous year.

Youth unemployment in Malta has decreased and is below the EU average, but, like the EU, it is twice as high as adult unemployment

The Youth Employment Strategy focuses on increasing access to employment, enhancing employability and promoting equal opportunities, ETC general manager operations, Felix Borg said.

Among its action plans for the next two years is assistance in work placements for disadvantaged youths by offering a subsidy to their employers; a graduate scheme whereby students or graduates can benefit from eight weeks of exposure in the manufacturing and services industry; more careers guidance fairs and the strengthening of the link between guidance teachers and HR managers.

There will be a Job Rotation Scheme, whereby the possibility of replacing persons on parental leave with the unemployed is being studied, so they can gain practical experience.

The strategy includes the setting up of a Basic Skills Unit and a Job Tasters Scheme, whereby youths with hardly any qualifications and no idea what they want to do would be exposed to different jobs and get advice to help them choose.

A basic employment training programme will target early school leavers.

The strategy is targeting 16- to 25-year-olds, who are not in post-secondary and tertiary education.