One of the objectives of the Malta Qualifications Council is to establish a national system for the documentation and validation of informal and non-formal learning. The Council aims to introduce a national system whereby all knowledge, skills and competences are recognised. This will ensure that people are re-introduced to learning. In order to accomplish this, the Council has embarked on a number of projects with different sectors of stakeholders to establish a system which will allow all individuals the right to document all their informal and non-formal learning and thus have their learning validated.
The priority areas for establishing such a system include the establishment of sector skills units, the setting up of occupational standards and the development of methods and tools for the assessment and recognition of informal and non-formal learning.
One of the aims of establishing and developing such criteria, is to ensure that employers have the correct skills to support their business success and development, training institutions devise programmes that are demand-driven and individuals possess competences for employability. The Malta Qualifications Council therfore aspires to establish a strong foundation, where the contribution of all available educational influence is acknowledged and through the acquisition, renewal and upgrading of knowledge, skills and competences the individual’s self-fulfilment is enhanced. In a nutshell, this explains the title of the conference – retooling for the future.
The Conference speakers hail from a wide spectrum and incorporate representatives from the public and private spheres. The opening session includes an address from the Hon Lawrence Gonzi Prime Minister of Malta, as well as an introduction by the Chairman of the Council Mr Abela Fitzpatrick and of the Chief Executive of the Council Dr James Calleja. The set-up of the conference incorporates two roundtable discussions to allow as much interaction and discussion as possible. The first roundtable discussion incorporates social partners’ viewpoints and those of voluntary organisations. Amongst the speakers are representatives from MCESD, MEA, KNPD, ZAK, CMTU, MFPA and a number of Unions. The second roundtable discussion brings together a number of private and public stakeholders.
The two hundred Conference participants come from various walks of life and include participants from the educational sector, public and private training providers, local council representatives, NGO’s, student representatives and voluntary organisation representatives to name but a few. In fact, the Conference also aims to foster an opportunity for networking.