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EACEA National Policies Platform
Malta

Malta

3. Employment & Entrepreneurship

3.3 Skills forecasting

Last update: 20 March 2024
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  1. Forecasting system(s)
  2. Skills development

Forecasting system(s)

The National Skills Council (NSC) was re-stablished in March 2023 as an executive body under the aegis of the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation. It is instrumental in ensuring that Malta is better prepared to face new labour market realities with capabilities to contribute to economic and social development. Its primary goals are to advise government on priority skills needs, the direction of skills development in line with emerging global trends, and the opportunities and challenges for learning and work. It shall steer Malta’s national skills strategy, establish policy, and oversee research while developing intelligence, promoting the required mechanisms for the advancement of skills, and minimising the skills gap. It has therefore a coordinating role, and together with other stakeholders will be building a skill forecasting function in the coming years.

Moreover, important efforts towards skills forecasting have already been elaborated within the National Employment Policy 2021-2030.

The NSC is also mandated to create the right channels for different stakeholders to connect and collaborate to effectively respond to present and future skill demands. As a priority, the NSC has been setting up the necessary structures to facilitate cross sectoral dialogues between the education and employment sector, both public and private also involving social partners. These dialogues are structured using a mutual learning bazaar approach whereby experts and representatives with different responsibilities are brought together in dedicated working groups. Outcomes of discussion from within these working groups will be used as input to labour market intelligence tools, and skills anticipation.

Skills development

In 2022, the National Statistics Office held a nationwide study entitled the Malta Skills Survey. A first of its kind, it was a national stock-taking exercise of Malta’s skills and qualifications among the working-age population, providing a snapshot of the skills profile of Malta’s workforce. Its aim was that of producing reliable statistics rooted in data about skills and competencies. In turn, this will enable skills profiling exercises that, after thorough analysis, will give a strong picture of any existing skills gaps in the national labour force. As such, results from this survey will be a very important tool for policy development and further research purposes. A preliminary NSO report was published in June 2023.

Meanwhile different further and higher education institutions involve industry in diverse manners to ensure that their education offer reflects the needs of industry, such as in curriculum design and quality assurance. 

MCAST's proactive measures, including its strategic plan and collaboration with industry partners, demonstrate a forward-thinking approach to vocational education and training (VET). It ensures that its programmes remain responsive to the national skills landscape and contribute effectively to Malta's economic competitiveness and sustainability.