Employers welcome launch of employability index

The launch of the Employability Index was welcomed by the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA) as a very positive step in guiding students to make informed choices about the employability aspects of the different courses available at tertiary level in Malta.

The report was issued for the first time by the Ministry for Education and Employment. It reveals that, in general, the employment levels of Maltese students who have completed tertiary level education is higher than that prevailing in the European Union.

It also demonstrates, however, that the percentage of students who are not in jobs related to their studies varies considerably between different disciplines, and it is evident that some areas offer better chances of jobs which are related to the field of study than others.

The MEA said that the idea of setting up an Employability Index was one of its proposals, included in the memorandum to political parties before the last general election.

The average percentage of persons who followed tertiary education in the EU (37%) is higher than Malta’s  27%.  The unemployment rate of such persons in the EU is 10.7%, against Malta’s 3%.

“Therefore, the target to have more persons following tertiary education, although desirable in itself, needs to be accompanied by a clear strategy to channel our human resources into areas which are most in demand by employers,” the MEA said.

It added that such a strategy would avoid an increase of unemployed graduates – a situation which prevails in many EU countries.

“It is an accomplishment of our educational system to see a 93% employment rate of those with tertiary qualifications, when compared to the EU’s 75.5%.”

The MEA said that the employability index should be an ongoing exercise enabling social partners to design constructive educational, career-oriented policies that will contribute to higher return on investment in education and the efficient utilisation of our human resources.