The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) is holding meetings with students who are attending at MCAST and have the possibility of following an apprenticeship programme as from October of this year. During these meetings, around 900 students are being informed in detail on the benefits of apprenticeships.

The Employment and Training Corporation is responsible for the administration of the apprenticeship framework. This involves the acquisition of training placements, recruitment and placement of apprentices, the monitoring to ascertain that the structured delivery of training is taking place and final trade testing. The Corporation also consults employers so as to ensure that the training delivered reflects the needs of the labour market. Apprenticeship schemes are run on the dual system where apprentices spend time at a vocational education institution for offthe- job training, and at the workplace for on-the-job training.

At present the Corporation has over 800 apprentices (up from 300 in 1995) placed with over 400 employers. The Corporation’s data show that 85% of the apprentices who successfully conclude their apprenticeship are retained in employment by their employer and continue to receive further training. The rest continue with their learning on a full-time basis locally or abroad, or open up their own business.