Labour leader Joseph Muscat further explained his party’s education guarantee to young people during a meeting with the executive committee of student organisation Pulse at university this morning.

Pulse called the meeting to learn more about Labour’s guarantee, which is that 16 years olds would be studying, training or in employment.

Dr Muscat said at the beginning of the meeting that the guarantee was a team effort of European Socialist Parties, which wanted to safeguard young people as they had agreed to safeguard banks on bailouts. He denied copying any slogans, as the Prime Minister accused him of doing last Sunday.

Dr Muscat said that each country was free to tailor a programme for its needs and what the PL was proposing was to follow up young people.

Once they left school and their names were not seen in employment registers or in some other form of education, the PL government would make a concerted effort to outreach these students and see what was holding them back, encourage them to pursue studies and help them find employment.

The Labour leader said this would be done in collaboration with local councils and non-governmental organisations and the Employment and Training Corporation.

Dr Muscat said he would like to see more public private partnerships where it was not about private companies giving jobs but offering training in skills to make people more employable.

Asked about the cost of the scheme, he said this would depend on the number of people taking on the help but not doing anything would cost the country more than reaching out to help these young people.