Not dull, nor Dickensian: jobs in manufacturing

We are working hard to introduce four vocational subjects in Maltese secondary schools, replacing the UK-driven BTech courses and learning from the pilot project that was launched by the previous administration. We need to have much better links between the currently separate worlds of education and employment.

We need this to make sure that we have the necessary skills to have a thriving economy that will make it possible to have a just and inclusive society, where no section of the population is excluded and allowed to fall behind.

We need to address the issue of dropouts, not only from MCAST but also at the end of compulsory education. Our rough estimates are that every year, over 25% of young students who finish compulsory education fall into the 'not in employment, education or training (NEET) category. Of our fifth formers, 13% do not even sit for an SEC exam.

We a) need a plan of action to retain students at Foundation Course MQF Levels 1 and 2 and b) to restructure (with ETC and the private sector) the apprenticeship schemes to enable more learners to remain within a lifelong learning process and become employable.

During a tour of the Playmobil factory last Monday I experienced first-hand the urgent need for more young workers to be encouraged and well prepared to seek and find satisfying jobs in the manufacturing industry. Our parents, teachers and guidance teachers must be made aware that working in manufacturing is not a Charles Dickens novel, as many believe. We must work hard to change the poor perception and low status that manufacturing suffers in our country.

Many of those in parental and educational roles are simply not informed of what goes on in our manufacturing companies. When Playmobil organised an open day last year to inform parents and teachers of what goes on at the workplace and introduce them to the high-tech work that unfolds there, only 500 people turned up, including only one guidance teacher.

I am happy to say that starting in the coming scholastic year, a number of vocational programmes will be on offer in the boys' secondary school in Gozo. I thank all those educators who have been working hard to make this vocational experience open in Gozo. We are also working hard to introduce changes to the PSD programme, to include and improve the career-development component. These changes will take place after consultation with the Malta Union of Teachers and with the PSD teachers themselves. The vocational programmes will be made available in Malta once teachers are trained.

Over the past few years, industries such as financial services, internet gaming and ICT have been the drivers of our economy. These industries have shown that they can weather blips in the global economy and provide jobs for thousands of people.

On the other hand, the manufacturing industry didn't remain an integral part of the economy because of government neglect and hostility. We had senior members of the previous administration making a hash of things by going on the record badmouthing an industry which employs thousands of people.

There is no doubt we are moving into a digital era, with employment in knowledge-based companies taking central stage. But manufacturing industries shouldn't be ignored because they are moving in the same direction, too.

During the visit at Playmobil, the major concern among the company's management was the lack of students taking up courses in high-end manufacturing at MCAST. This was despite the employment opportunities available in this and similar companies, as well as the handsome salaries on offer.

The major challenge we have is this issue of public perception. Not enough students are applying for the various courses available, especially at MCAST, because of the negative image of the manufacturing industry. The public associates manufacturing with dullness and boring and low-paid jobs, but this couldn't be further from the truth in today's factories.

People are not aware that high-end manufacturing doesn't involve sweatshops, but robotics and engineering. Improving knowledge-based industries is something that all EU members are doing, but we must remember that pooling all our economic weight in one type of industry is an error too many governments have made.

A diverse and varied economy is what we should be aiming for. We are not even going against the grain here, as major global players, such as the US, China and Germany, have all made manufacturing a key component in their economic models.

Over the past few months, not many have noticed the major differences between this government and the previous one, and I believe this major point is one where we are diametrically opposed: manufacturing has a future in this country, especially in the shape that this industry is now taking. We should do our best to make sure our youths are aware of the great opportunities available in this line of work and give them all the educational and training opportunities possible to prepare them for it.

Evarist Bartolo is minister for education