Whether you have been out of work for two years or 20, you can catch up with the rest of the local workforce through a training programme that is accrediting scores of people.
“When you are all alone at home mulling over the idea of going back to work, you do not feel motivated much,” Josianne Grech, 45, told Times of Malta. “However, when you join a class and realise there are several others in the same boat, you know that you too can do it.”
Ms Grech stopped working some 20 years ago after a decade in employment. As her children grew and she supported them through their studies, she became increasingly interested in taking some training courses herself.
Her friends were advancing in their careers but a lack of qualifications always hung over her head. So, she enrolled in the Work Programme Initiative as soon as she heard about it. A few months later, she secured employment and is now set to become an accounts manager.
Never let anyone discourage you. If you want something, strive for it
The initiative, which is a Jobsplus collaboration with the private sector, has not only helped Ms Grech find a job but also get out of her shell. Above all, she now has accredited skills under her belt.
Rita Micallef, a KPMG trainer, said that the participants were first interviewed so a detailed profile could be drawn up. This covered their skills and the qualifications they required to fulfil their ambitions.
Some courses focus on empowerment, ethics at work and employment law. Others are varied and include sales and marketing, office skills, languages and IT, all of which are accredited.
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These courses are open to people aged 25 and over who have been out of employment for at least a year.
Several of those who sign up for the Work Programme Initiative are women, some of whom dropped out of the workforce years ago when they started their own families.
According to recent data, Malta ranks second among EU member states for the highest number of economically inactive women. Some 44.5 per cent are not active in the workforce.
Programme participant Vanessa Galea says she believes more in herself now, after years being discouraged by others that she would never succeed at school. The 36-year-old put her career on hold two years ago after her middle child was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum around the same time that her third child was born.
“I’ve always wanted to continue my studies, but there were stumbling blocks that I could not overcome until I gradually started these courses. My ultimate aim is to enrol at the university,” she said.
What advice would Ms Galea give her younger self?
“Never let anyone discourage you. If you want something, strive for it. I am doing that 30 years later but I will get there. It does not matter when you do it or how long it takes you. The most important thing is that you reach your goal,” she replies.
For more information, contact KPMG on 2563 1059 or look up the page KPMG in Malta on Facebook.