A new programme for fifth formers who did not register to sit for ‘O’ level exams will be launched tomorrow, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said this morning.
He also said that the government would increasingly focus on tackling a situation where half of new jobs were going to foreigners.
Speaking at a Labour Party conference, the minister said 350 students would be taking part in the programme, which would include work training and academic training made interesting for them.
Such young people, he said, should not be allowed to fall by the wayside, as had happened in the past.
He said it was also unacceptable that half of all fifth formers either did not sit for their ‘O’ levels or else passed from only one or two exams.
Also unacceptable, he said, was the fact that out of every 100 students who started the Mcast Foundation course, only 17 continued to study.
He said a strong focus on vocational training would be instilled in the education system, filling a vacuum which remained largely empty after the closure of trade schools.
This, he said, was part of efforts to link the education sector with the needs of industry.
HALF OF NEW JOBS TAKEN BY FOREIGNERS
It was a matter of concern, he said, that about half of the jobs created in the past went to foreigners.
There were various facets to the problem, he said.
He asked how there were 500 vacant jobs in the cleaning sector, and there were 300 applicants, but jobs continued to be taken by foreigners. One had to ask why this was happening, including conditions of work, and also the possibility that the Maltese did not wish to work inconvenient hours.
The minister also pointed out that 9,000 jobs were created by this government, double that of the former government.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also expressed concern how half of new jobs were being taken by foreigners, and said this was a challenge which needed to be tackled. He had nothing against foreigners, but every government in any country wanted to serve his nationals first, he said.
Why were the Maltese not taking up the jobs? Did the Maltese not want to take some jobs. Were conditions of work so bad that the Maltese did not want them?
The government wanted to ensure that conditions of work were fair and people were encouraged to go out to work rather than rely on social benefits.
At the same time, Dr Muscat said, some employers could not find the workers they needed and imported foreign labour. And the required qualifications were nothing special - such as 'O' level maths.
Several employers had also told him that they were unable to recruit Maltese possessing basic skills.
Education was therefore the key, at all levels. That included young people who did not further their education beyond secondary school.
Parents should encourage their children to stay at school, and the government would be providing assistance to enable them to do so.
"This country cannot afford to continue losing its human resources," Dr Muscat said.
New and better apprenticeship schemes were needed for skills-based jobs. But this country also needed more people trained in mathematics, statistics, and languages.