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In its financial year 2006 - 2007, the Employment and Training Corporation spent €740,930 (Lm318,081) in employment schemes to help job seekers in acquiring work experience and thus to face the challenges of the labour market.

The Corporation’s employment schemes continue to be an effective means of facilitating the re- integration of unemployed persons. During the last financial year, ETC offered a number of different schemes to both employers seeking potential employees as well as unemployed job seekers seeking work experience and/or employment in the labour market. In total 906 persons registering for work were placed on these schemes.

The Employment and Training Placement Scheme aimed at assisting employers to provide the necessary training to newly recruited persons at the beginning of their probation period. A total of 16 persons were placed on the scheme. A similar opportunity for job seekers will be provided under a different scheme. The Employment Aid Programme, as the new scheme is called, has a budget of €12 million and will be launched in the coming months. The scheme is partially funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), Structural Funds for Malta 2007 - 2013.

In the case of persons whose job was at risk, or who were in the process of becoming redundant, ETC provided streamlined services to facilitate registration, guidance and job brokerage. In addition, ETC offered a re-designed Redeployment Scheme co-financed by the ESF. Through this scheme, ETC looked for alternative employment for those employees hit by collective redundancy exercises. Apart from providing alternative employment to those at imminent risk of becoming redundant, the scheme offered assistance to employers taking up redundant workers on a full-time indefinite contract basis, prior to concluding their notice period. 148 persons benefited from this scheme.

During the past financial year the Job Experience Scheme proved to be extremely popular with young job seekers and employers alike. As a result, the annual targets were exceeded by the scheme. Around two-thirds of those who undertook work exposure with private companies were actually retained in employment. This year, the ETC re-activated the Job Experience Scheme and it is now partly-funded by the ESF. This project is estimated to cost €168,000 (Lm72,122).

The Active Youth Scheme has also proven to be very popular. The scheme is designed to help young persons, aged between 16 and 24, to discover and develop their hidden talents while contributing to the community by working with non-governmental, religious and cultural organisations. This scheme targets young persons who have been unemployed for more than six months. 110 young job seekers (of whom 12 were Gozitan) were placed on this scheme.

The Work Start Scheme, originally launched in 2004-2005, was introduced for adults aged 25 and over, who have been out of the workforce for a period of 5 years or more, and for persons possessing academic or vocational qualifications but who do not have work experience in the area in which they are qualified. When compared to previous years, participation in this scheme has more than doubled - 136 persons were placed in 2006/07. More than half of the participants are now in employment.

Twenty young job seekers were placed on the Youth Employment Scheme. This Scheme involved the employment of young jobseekers and the provision of on-the-job training for them. ETC paid a wage subsidy to the employer that provided employment and training for these young persons. Most of these young clients are still in employment.

Another scheme is the Supported Employment Scheme for persons with disability. Placements on this scheme stood at 104. It is to be positively noted that 27 persons with disability were placed in employment in the past financial year. Some of these workers are experiencing gainful employment for the very first time in their life. 20 clients were placed in employment through the co-operation agreements that ETC has with the Eden and Richmond Foundations. This scheme was part-financed by the ESF.

The Bridging the Gap Scheme helped 66 persons in disadvantaged situations to enhance their capabilities to integrate into the labour market. The scheme offers participants an opportunity of work exposure with a local company to enable him/her to demonstrate the skills needed for a particular job. The clients who are entitled to participate in this scheme are former substance abusers, former correctional facilities inmates, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals.

Employers who would like to engage persons on these schemes are invited to contact the Employers’ Services and Schemes Unit at schemes.etc@gov.mt... or on 2220 1220 / 230.