The Social Solidarity Ministry on Wednesday launched a €1.7 million investment, one aim of which will be the building of a food laboratory for early school leavers and teenage parents.

The European Social Fund co-supported project, called Knowledge, Training, Communications and Support Measures of Vulnerable Groups, will bring together stakeholders from different ministries and NGOs.

One of the main aims of the project is to transform service provision at the Department of Social Security offices from one that is focused on the client’s request, to one that is more advisory, permanent secretary Mark Musù told the press.

Clients would be updated about available benefits, training, and employment opportunities as well as advised on money and debt management. 

The project will also see the department partner up with Mcast to provide certified training to its staff in financial education and benefits management. 

Meanwhile, two pilot projects will see the building of a food laboratory through which early school leavers and teenage parents, among others, are trained to cook nutritious healthy food on a budget. 

The second project, in collaboration with the Commission for the Rights of People with a Disability and the Dun Manwel Attard Resource Centre, will see the introduction of services such as dance and music therapy to allow students to integrate further in society.

The project includes other initiatives related to the retirement and financial education policy initiative, such as a three-year awareness strategy and research in collaboration with the Kunsill Ilsien Malti to draw up a simplified Maltese glossary for financial and retirement terms.

In his brief about the project, Mr Musù noted that the retirement and financial capability strategy, which the ministry presented earlier this year, identified that lack of financial education had directly contributed to poverty. 

The provision of financial education advice on money and debt management to people at risk of poverty would therefore be further strengthened by equipping staff at the Foundation for Social Welfare Service’s Leap Centres and other professional staff with financial education knowledge.

Commending the training initiatives within the project, Parliamentary Secretary Aaron Farrugia noted that his secretariat’s role was to ensure that everyone benefitted from European funds. Investment in research would allow the service providers to understand existing vulnerability gaps within the system, he added.

Addressing the same conference, Minister Michael Falzon noted that the holistic approach of roping in all stakeholders within the sector would not only improve the service provided but reap better results.

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