Malta Chamber in collaboration with Malta Enterprise has launched Make It, a campaign aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in manufacturing.
During the launch of the campaign, Frank V. Farrugia, president of the Malta Chamber, said that the manufacturing industry was expected to create 53 per cent of the vacancies that were anticipated to be created in the next three years. This is true, even though the sector is only responsible for 30 per cent of the interviewed candidates in the study.
Farrugia was quoting a study carried out by the Malta Chamber last December, whereby the importance of manufacturing as a creator of job opportunities was underlined.
“In a survey carried out among all Malta Chamber members, regarding the expected recruitment they are projecting for 2019, 2020 and 2021, manufacturing came out on top, as it is envisaged to provide 530 job vacancies from the 995 expected to be created in the next three years,” he added, reiterating how these numbers continued to strengthen the Chamber’s argument about the importance of the manufacturing sector and how well advised it is to continue to support its permanence in Malta.
Farrugia thanked Malta Enterprise, especially chairman William Wait and CEO Mario Galea who were instrumental for the initiative being launched to take place.
“This campaign would not have been possible without their support,” Farrugia said.
Taking the podium, the Malta Enterprise chairman said the manufacturing base today is very diversified from the production of car switchgear, toys, food and packaging, repairs and maintenance of aeroplanes, engineering, building of machines and production of medicines. He also reiterated the importance that one needs to factor in all the research and development activities being undertaken related to all the aforementioned sectors.
Various job opportunities exist within the manufacturing industry and these give the individual the possibility to move from one level to the other.
“We need to ensure that we keep the message live and loud in the market place that manufacturing offers long-term, wellpaying jobs,” Wait said. “And this is exactly the aim of this campaign. A campaign where we will see employees endorsing manufacturing. Showcasing their own life story with an aim of interesting others to embark on a similar path. We want to help to present this sector in the form and shape of what it has become today.”
Patrick Cachia, chairman of the Manufacturing Economic Group within the Chamber, said that manufacturing in Malta had come a long way.
“In fact even in a world where the economy is increasingly looking at the services industry, manufacturing remains an important element of our economic equation,” he noted.
“The Chamber, and specifically our Manufacturing Economic Group, is well aware that with the ever-increasing presence of the services, tourism, retail and financial industries on our shores, manufacturing tends to lose its immediate appeal it enjoyed in the past, and employers are experiencing difficulty in identifying individuals to take on a career in manufacturing,” Cachia said.
The campaign launch was also addressed by economy minister Chris Cardona.
“The manufacturing industry is the backbone of a strong economy. We want to bolster the industry in the nation’s long-term future. There are incredible job opportunities in our country that are a far cry from the prevailing perception,” he said.