Youths attending the National Youth Parliament yesterday called for apprenticeships to supplement tertiary education.

The proposal was one of several made by attending youths, aged between 13 and 17, during the junior session organised by the National Youth Council (KNŻ), which took place at Parliament and was moderated by Speaker Michael Frendo.

The session had three themes: equality, youth participation in society and alternative energy. The themes were represented by three “parties”.

The Youth Participation Party proposed a system which guaranteed work placements for those in tertiary education institutions such as the University and the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology. They argued that young people were graduating without any work experience whatsoever. Among other proposals were extending the law on the vilification of the Catholic church to include all religions as well as teaching about all religions in school, and the lowering of the voting age to 16, starting with local council elections as a trial.

The Alternative Energy party proposed the construction of a biomass facility which would use organic waste imported from other countries to generate renewable energy. Another of their proposals involved generating electricity from gym machines.

Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport Clyde Puli said he was pleased to see such timely issues being discussed, adding that Parliament should be “a powerhouse of ideas”.

While joking that it was strange to see Parliament so full, Labour spokesman Luciano Busuttil said that some youths were not interested in politics because they were not given enough opportunities to participate in it. He said youths should be taught how to be confident when expressing their views from an early age.