Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION By Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo and Minis- ter for Home Affairs, Secu- rity, Reforms and Equality Byron Camilleri At present, if you wish to work in our hospitality and tourism industry all you need is an employer who is willing to hire you. It is like any oth- er contractual relationship between the two parties, ob- viously within the parameters of all applicable laws and reg- ulations. The question is, should the gateway to employment in this sector entail something more? Should working in a restaurant, a hotel, or any oth- er public or private entity ca- tering to visitors require some sort of basic applicable quali- fications? We think so and we are doing something about it. At present we are gearing up to roll out an initiative which we believe will go some way towards giving answers to these questions. In January 2024 we will be introducing new training and assessment requirements for both current and prospective employees in the sector. Following the clear vision set out in our Malta Tourism Strategy 2021-2030: Recover, Rethink, Revitalise, the Min- istry for Tourism and that of Home Affairs, Security, Re- forms and Equality are jointly spearheading the "Gateway to Quality Employment in the Hospitality and Tourism In- dustry" policy. Quite simply, it's a step-by- step gradualist process de- signed to address legitimate current concerns about ser- vice as well as increase the quality and service standards in the industry. Our ground- ed point of departure is that comprehensive training of all employees coupled with ef- fective assessments will take our tourism industry a notch higher. Now, more than ever, this is precisely what today's tourist is looking for. Moving forward, we have aligned the resources of the Institute of Tourism Studies' Training School, the Malta Tourism Authority and Iden- tita' Malta, to deliver a two- stage mandatory training and assessment process for visa and/or work permit appli- cants and at a later stage for EU and Maltese citizens. Essentially, we will be train- ing and assessing Third Coun- try Nationals and Visa Exempt applicants through a range of sector-specific online cours- es. Amongst others, offering courses in English proficiency, customer service, the charac- teristics of our local tourism product, and hospitality Eng- lish. Applicants will be giv- en the choice to sit through tailor made online skills as- sessments which gear them towards the area they would wish to work in - bar, house- keeping, restaurant, kitchen, front office and more. The next phase, coupled with the issuance of an Identita' visa, leads to an in-person inter- view in English as well as a practical skills assessment. Operationally and admin- istratively, the ITS Training School will be in charge of the online courses as well as the assessments, Identita' will issue the visas and work per- mits, and MTA delivers the Skills Card to successful appli- cants. Eventually, we will be wid- ening the initiative's purview to include current employees with a work permit who are seeking a renewal and finally reaching out to EU nationals and Maltese citizens. "Gateway to Quality Em- ployment in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry" is des- tined to become one of our key platforms to ensure that local and foreign industry em- ployees meet the recognised national minimum across the board. We are convinced that it will give a substantial boost to the competitiveness of Malta's hospitality and tour- ism sector. Along with many other strategic policy moves we already rolled out, this one promises to help deliver con- sistently exceptional experi- ences to our visitors. Because that is the bread and butter of our industry. A public consultation will be held between 26th October and 16th November. We are truly looking forward to the hear the views of stakeholders as well as the general public. For more information on the "Gateway to Quality Employ- ment in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry" click on https://its.edu.mt/consulta- tion. No, it's not like any other job