Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/587664
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2015 11 JAMES DEBONO FISHERMEN at Ghar Lapsi have been left in pitch darkness after Enemalta removed three flood- lights illuminating the slipway in a clampdown against illegal con- nections to the public grid. An Enemalta spokesperson explained that the company re- ceived reports that three flood- lights at Ghar Lapsi were not reg- ularly connected to the grid. "We inspected the site and found that they were not properly installed and connected." Enemalta claims that the ir- regular connection was causing a safety risk to the public in the area and the lights had to be immedi- ately disconnected to eliminate this danger. "These irregularities have seri- ous health and safety implications and can lead to injury or other se- rious consequences". But fishermen using the slipway in the area at night have found themselves in pitch darkness. "We literally cannot work…and the complete absence of light dangerous for anyone who visits the place at night. It is so dark that one can literally kill and bury someone without being seen." Fishermen claim that they were told that the electricity provi- sion was caught because there was rampant waste of energy. "If that was the case, the government should address this problem while installing an adequate lighting system." The fishermen acknowledged that the present system, which has served them for the past dec- ades, is not ideal and should be changed. According to the government spokesperson the company has now informed the relevant au- thorities to regularise the installa- tion of these lamps as soon as pos- sible, to ensure that they are safely reconnected. The Enemalta spokesperson explained that street lamp con- nections are regulated by an es- tablished application process whereby local councils or other national entities apply to have the required circuits safely connected to the national grid by Enemalta's technicians. News 5BCMFUSPMMPVU GPS:FBSTUVEFOUT JO #Budget2016 This is a paid advert Fishermen left in darkness as Enemalta clamps down on illegal electricity connections Ghar Lapsi fishermen left in dark Over half of recent tourism, arts university graduates overqualified for jobs TIM DIACONO OVER half of recent university graduates from the Tourism and Travel Institute and the Faculty of Arts have wound up in jobs that they are overqualified for, accord- ing to a new government study. The Employability Index shows that a sizable 56.4% of people who graduated from the Travel Institute in 2012 and 2013 were employed in jobs that they were overqualified for by the time the study was carried out in 2014. In contrast, only 14% of these graduates ended up in tourism- related jobs that they were ad- equately qualified for, in sharp contrast with the 62.3% of recent graduates from the Institute for Tourism Studies. Similarly, 56.3% of recent gradu- ates with an arts degree are now overqualified for their jobs, with only 22.95% of them working in a job related to their studies, and 20.75% working in an adequate job but one that is unrelated to their studies. This means that the two facul- ties find themselves lagging sig- nificantly behind the university average; 72.5% of the 7,030 gradu- ates in 2012/13 were employed in degree-matching jobs, with only 18.05% of them overqualified. "While the perfect match scores are excellent in certain streams, a warning sign is apparent in others and must not be overlooked," the study compiled by the Education Ministry and the ETC notes. "Pos- itive change must not be feared but embraced. The Maltese edu- cational infrastructure should not be solely in the business of selling dreams to young and mature peo- ple alike, but also endeavor to en- sure that such dreams can become a reality once their graduates leave the doorstep of the campuses. "This is not only a matter of eco- nomic importance, but also a cru- cial vehicle to sustain and fortify Malta's social fabric." The study was carried out to identify current trends in the Mal- tese labour market, and the early signs are quite telling, indicating an extremely high demand for medical-related jobs. Indeed, the top three faculties whose graduates find degree- matching employments are Den- tistry (100% of graduates), Medi- cine (94.5%) and Health (92.8%). Close behind are Engineering (87.6%), Education (86.6%), Archi- tecture (85.25%), Science (83.2%), and Finance/Economics (80%). There seems to be a relatively high demand for lawyers too; 67.35% of the 235 students who graduated from the Faculty of Law in 2012 and 2013 are now working in jobs that match their degrees. However, the remaining six faculties and institutes appear to be producing far more graduates than the job market caters for. Only 42.1% of recent graduates from the Faculty for Social Well- being – that includes psychology, social care and criminology – are employed in matching jobs, with a staggering 41.85% overqualified for their jobs. Similarly, only 42.3% of Europe- an Institute graduates and 43.5% of recent media graduates are now working in related environ- ments, although it is worth noting that the figure for the latter stands at 30.3% for 2012 graduates and 56.7% for 2013 graduates. Out of the 13 recent theol- ogy graduates, seven (45.85%) of them are now working in degree- matching jobs. MCAST graduates more likely to be overqualified for their jobs The study reveals that 33.8% of the 5,322 recent MCAST gradu- ates are employed in jobs that they were overqualified for, a sig- nificantly higher percentage than university graduates (18.05%). Most glaringly, only 40.55% of recent graduates from MCAST's Institute of ICT have instantly found jobs that match their de- grees, less than half the percent- age of their university ICT coun- terparts. Similarly, the matching employ- ment rate for Applied Science In- stitute graduates stands at 52.85%, much lower than that recorded for graduates with a Bachelors' of Science. 56.7% of the recent graduates from MCAST's Institute for the Creative Arts – that includes arts, design, media and photography - are working in jobs that they are overqualified for. Employability study shows that MCAST graduates far more likely to end up in jobs they are overqualified for than their university counterparts Fishermen using the slipway have found themselves in pitch darkness