Quality of life, higher levels of competitiveness and better living standards may not be the first things that come to mind when one thinks about education.
Yet, gone are the days when a person can leave Form V and be ready to join the labour market with a good expectation of finding a job - and a well paying job at that.
For education is a lifetime pursuit. Without constantly updating ourselves and keeping abreast of the latest developments, through continuous professional development, each one of us will become obsolete. All this need not be too daunting as all opportunities are being offered for this to take place throughout the education process.
Lifelong education starts with those who are about to leave Form V but extends throughout a person's working life and beyond. The primary focus is to foster a culture that encourages traditional school-leavers aged 16 or older to feel the need to continue training and furthering their education.
There are so many options both at a technical and undergraduate level, as becomes immediately evident from the sheer choice available not just in Malta but also abroad.
A quick look at where Malta stands in terms of those students who are still in education at age 18 shows that we have some way to go to reach the European Union average.
Latest statistics ( http://epp. eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language= en&pcode=tps00060&plugin=1 ) indicate that, in 2007, just under 55 per cent of Maltese 18-year-olds were still in any kind of school (at all ISCED levels) compared to an EU average of over 76 per cent. Only the UK and Cyprus have a lower percentage of students not at school.
The high flyers in the EU include Ireland, Poland and Finland, all with over 93 per cent of students still at school.
It is all well and good to say that students and other members of the population need to think about further education but how do they decipher what they want and map out their career path through the educational system?
This is something that is being done firstly through the guidance services in all the schools and educational institutions, which we are improving continuously.
These services have come a long way since they were identified as key enablers 40 years ago. We are also urging all students to attend the Learning Expo 2010, being held between today and Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at Hilton Malta.
With over 39 exhibitors, there should be something to interest everyone.
The guidance services also play a big role at the expo and they are training students on how to obtain the maximum benefit from the wide choice of education opportunities, including those on display at the expo.
What is key to all this is that the students and anyone seeking further education opportunities should seek areas they enjoy, where they will eventually be finding employment that is stimulating and rewarding. Education is a key enabler.
Once they have continued on the educational path, they can look around for various sources of funding, not just from the EU but also funding from the central government. One such initiative is STEPS - Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarships (www.education.gov.mt/steps.htm).
The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Malta Qualifications Council (MQC) both have a role in this process, with the NCHE (www.nche.gov.mt) also issuing specialised publications like What Do You Want To Be and the MQC being the national certifying body for all qualifications.
Education is all about maximising on our human capital, the one true resource we fall back on as a nation.
Education is about self-improvement and the ability to take the country as a whole to a higher level. We have no other option.
Education is our future and education is for life.
The author is project manager, Learning Expo 2010 - Malta.