Alfred Grixti.

Former Labour official Alfred Grixti, whose term at the helm of the Employment Training Corporation lasted barely a year, said he left the post after being offered a “bigger job” by the government.

However, he declined to comment when asked if his departure was also linked to criticism by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.

Last month, Mr Bartolo who is also responsible for employment, criticised the ETC for what he called “lax enforcement” to ensure those listed in the unemployment register were not working illegally. His comments were made in reply to media questions about the rising unemployment rate.

Questions about the circumstances behind Mr Grixti’s departure were fuelled by the announcement two days ago that economist Clyde Caruana had replaced him.

Contacted by Times of Malta, Mr Grixti justified his decision to leave the ETC saying he had been offered the job of CEO at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.

“I have moved to another organisation, with a budget that is twice as big and has an even bigger workforce,” he said.

He declined to comment on his relationship with Mr Bartolo, saying it was confidential . He pointed out that his appointment had not been handled by the Education Ministry but directly from the top, saying the principal permanent secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister requested his services.

“ETC is now a closed chapter, as on the government’s request I have started carrying out my duties at the new post [yesterday].”

The Education Minister also expressed reservations and distanced himself in the wake of remarks by Mr Grixti at the height of the citizenship scheme controversy.

Quoting a verse from the Bible (“eye for eye, tooth for tooth”), Mr Grixti had urged the government to toughen its stance against the Opposition and “play hard ball”.

While he played down this incident, he confirmed the minister had drawn his attention to his remarks. Questions sent to the Education Ministry were not answered by the time of going to print.