ETC offers work experience to jobseekers

Over 300 participants have successfully completed the Work Trial Scheme – a work exposure scheme aimed at giving jobseekers work experience to increase their chances of finding employment.

The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) relaunched this scheme last month.

The scheme targets various groups, including youths with no relevant work experience or no experience at all, graduates or people who completed a course and who never worked in the area of their studies, those who were not working the previous year, people aged 25 and older who are registering and who have been unemployed for at least six months and those who were recently made redundant.

The scheme was conceived to meet employers’ demands for more qualified and experienced employees. Through the scheme participants are given the opportunity to be placed within a real work environment for 20 hours a week for a maximum of 12 weeks.

During this time, participants undergo on-the-job training and gain valuable work experience. They are paid an allowance, while employers incur no financial costs.

During this period, the employer can evaluate the participant prior to considering employment after the scheme.

The participation of over 200 employers and NGOs was crucial for the success of the scheme. Around 68 per cent of the 340 participants are not registering for work anymore.

More information on the Work Trial Scheme is available from www.etc.gov.mt, tel. 2220 1100 or via e-mail at schemes.etc@gov.mt.