The Youth Guarantee Scheme, which aims at training young people for jobs, has been a major contributor to Malta’s outstanding jobs figures, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this afternoon.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, he noted that unemployment among adults in Malta was now the third lowest in the EU while young unemployment was the fifth lowest.

He said the scheme had reached 1,851 young people and made a ‘real difference’ to their life.

The programmes which fell under the scheme had helped young people get the necessary skills and training necessary to find jobs, he said, As a result, over the past year, youth unemployment is Malta was down by half.

Mr Bartolo said 1,244 had attended revision and remedial classes and 144 attended the alternative learning programme.