Various colleges organised job exposure or ‘job shadowing’ initiatives for their respective Form 4 secondary students over the past few weeks.
The aim of these experiences was to help the students prepare for the world of work, as well as to encourage them to further their studies. Students were able to observe the responsibilities and tasks associated with their mentor’s career and ask questions about the knowledge, skills, talents and level of education required for the job.
The project at San Ġorġ Preca College involved 420 Form 4 students in the college – Ħamrun Girls, Ħamrun Boys and Marsa Boys secondary schools, and over 55 companies or other entities from about 15 different sectors.
A similar programme run by St Theresa College involved almost 250 students from Mrieħel Girls and Birkirkara Boys secondary schools, who were given the opportunity to attend a five-day long placement at 65 different organisations, institutions and private entities in a wide range of sectors according to their career inclinations.
The job placements were made through the Chamber of Advocates, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, the Armed Forces, the Malta Tourism Authority, various banks and a number of other entities.
The exercise also included the analysis of student career inclinations, curriculum vitae writing exercises, and mock interviews.
Meanwhile, 100 students this year took part in the third edition of the Malta Tourism Authority’s Job Exposure programme. The programme involved older secondary school students who show an interest in embarking on a career in the tourism industry ‘shadowing’ various tourism professionals carrying out their responsibilities for about a week over a three-week period.
The students taking part in the MTA programme attended schools forming part of Maria Regina, St Theresa, St Clare, St Ignatius College and St Thomas More colleges, and the job shadowing was carried out in 21 tourism-related establishments.
During the certificate-awarding ceremony a new website www.trainedfortourism.org.mt dedicated to the programme and other similar initiatives was launched to further promote tourism-related careers.