PRESS RELEASE BY THE MINISTRY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, PLANNING AND EMPLOYMENT AND THE MINISTRY FOR EUROPEAN FUNDS, SOCIAL DIALOGUE AND CONSUMER More than 15,000 people have already benefited from Jobsplus Youth Guarantee and Training for Employment programmes

Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Employment Jonathan Attard and Minister for European Funds, Social Dialogue and Consumer Protection Keith Azzopardi Tanti addressed a conference entitled 'Youth Guarantee and Training for Employment', which focused on the importance of continued investment in young people, skills and employment opportunities.

Minister Attard said that the labour market is constantly changing and, therefore, it is important to continue creating opportunities that help young people enter the world of work, while also giving workers the opportunity to continue developing their skills.

“Over the past few years, more than 15,000 people have already benefited from these opportunities for training, skills development and experience. This demonstrates the importance of continuing to invest in measures that provide people with the tools to enter the world of work, advance in their careers and adapt to the changing needs of the labour market. Our aim is to build on this result and ensure that more young people and workers have access to concrete opportunities," Minister Attard said.

Minister Attard also highlighted the role of Jobsplus as the Public Employment Service, which connects jobseekers, workers, employers and training opportunities.

Overall, the investment in these two projects amounts to €22 million. The Youth Guarantee project, with an investment of more than €10 million and running until the end of 2028, focuses on young people aged between 15 and 29, with an emphasis on prevention, personalised support and the transition to education, training or employment. Measures include Free SEC Revision Classes, Empower Youth and ALMA.

Minister for European Funds, Social Dialogue and Consumer Protection Keith Azzopardi Tanti said that the true value of European funds lies in the impact they have on people's lives.

“Through projects such as this, we are helping people strengthen their skills, gain valuable experience and have better employment opportunities. Our aim is to ensure that European funds continue to deliver concrete results by supporting people's professional development and strengthening Malta's workforce for the future," Minister Azzopardi Tanti added.

The Training for Employment project, with an investment of €12 million and running until December 2029, focuses on workplace experience, training, upskilling and reskilling through initiatives such as Work Exposure, Traineeships and MySkills.

The projects build on the results achieved by previous programmes. Between 2015 and 2023, more than 6,000 young people participated in the Youth Guarantee, while 88% obtained a qualification or certification or entered employment following their participation.

Meanwhile, the previous Training for Employment project supported 9,045 people between 2016 and 2023, while 89% of participants obtained a qualification or certification.

Jobsplus Chief Executive Officer Celia Falzon stressed that people require different types of support at different stages of their lives. The Youth Guarantee and Training for Employment projects address these needs by assisting young people to remain in education or enter the world of work, while helping others gain experience, update their skills and progress in their careers.

Among those present were Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for Infrastructure, Planning and Employment Ronald Mizzi and representatives of the European Commission.