Addressing Malta’s skills gap

Prof Alexiei Dingli is a Professor of AI at the University of Malta and has been conducting research and working in the field of AI for more than two decades, assisting different companies to implement AI solutions. He forms part of the Malta.AI task-force, set up by the Maltese government, aimed at making Malta one of the top AI countries in the world

Malta is at a crossroads, grappling with a growing skills gap—a disconnect between the skills workers possess, what employers need and, more importantly, what the future requires! This challenge, if left unaddressed, could stifle economic growth. However, it also presents an opportunity to innovate and adapt, harnessing global best practices to fuel a prosperous future.

The launch of the Human Capital Research Project was a first step towards addressing the skills gaps that Malta faces. In 2021, the National Statistics Office (NSO) of Malta disclosed the full scope of the problem that was previously anticipated by the project. It shows a significant number of workers in jobs unrelated to their level of education and their field of study, with many being either overqualified or underqualified for their roles. This misalignment is problematic to individual career aspirations and a bottleneck for optimising the talent pool necessary for Malta's economic engine.

The narrative previously highlighted by the Human Capital Research Project takes a darker tone with the Eurobarometer 2023 survey, underscoring a growing trend of skills mismatch affecting not just Malta but many European countries. The urgency to act is further amplified by the European Commission declaring 2023 as the European Year of Skills, shining the spotlight on devising innovative and effective solutions.

The future doesn't hold more promising prospects either; a Forbes article paints a gloomy scenario for 2030 with a global skills shortage of around 85 million people. It underscores the importance of revamping training cycles to ensure workforce readiness and meet evolving job market demands.

The million-dollar question is how to solve this problem. To address this grappling issue, personalised adaptive learning emerges as a potent remedy, offering a tailored pathway to skill acquisition and career development. This could take the form of a comprehensive online platform designed to foster a culture of lifelong learning, integrated personalised training, stakeholder collaboration, and skills-based career development.

The platform would serve as a comprehensive portal, aggregating all the skilling/upskilling/reskilling courses available across Malta and partnering with universities, vocational training providers, or companies. Users could also access various online courses, webinars, and workshops. But more than just a search tool, the platform would leverage intelligent algorithms to provide personalised course recommendations based on user's existing skills and career aspirations. It would also provide insights on potential career paths, wage prospects, and job openings related to the courses, promoting a culture of informed decision-making and continuous upskilling.

In addition, the platform would streamline the process of accessing government or European financing schemes for education and training. Users could apply for these funds directly through the app, eliminating the need for extensive paperwork. Moreover, employers could use the platform to directly suggest courses to their employees through the app and associate transparent incentives like pay raises or promotions upon course completion. This feature would encourage continuous learning and skills development within the workforce, contributing to individual career growth and overall organisational development. It would also allow ambitious employees to climb the career ladder at their own pace.

The platform would serve as a hub for stakeholder collaboration, bringing together education providers, employers, and unions. A dedicated space would allow these stakeholders to collaborate by proposing courses and updates. It would ensure that the content remains relevant and aligned with industry trends and demands. In addition to fostering collaboration, the platform would enable a more cohesive working relationship among educational institutions. The National Skills Council could use the platform to communicate current and upcoming skills gaps to these stakeholders. In response, service providers could view these gaps and develop targeted courses to address them. Leveraging artificial intelligence, the platform could analyse the country's data to predict future needs, thus empowering service providers to plan and design aligned courses. Furthermore, organisations like the eSkills Foundation could use the platform to promote targeted courses that address national skills' rapidly changing needs. This proactive approach would ensure that the workforce is well-prepared to meet the evolving demands of the job market.

The platform would incorporate a digital portfolio feature, providing a dynamic space where users can showcase their completed courses and acquired skills. This portfolio would serve as a comprehensive record of the user's learning journey, going beyond traditional paper qualifications to provide a more holistic view of their capabilities. Users would receive a digital badge or certificate automatically added to their portfolio after completing a course. Each course or training program would be associated with particular skill tags, added to the user's portfolio upon completion, providing a quick and practical overview of their skillset. Employers registered on the platform could browse these portfolios when hiring new talent available for work. They could search for potential candidates based on specific skill tags, view their course completion badges, and even monitor their progress in ongoing courses. This feature would promote recognition of formal, non-formal and informal skills, allowing employers to appreciate the commitment of potential employees to continuous learning and upskilling.

The benefits of such a framework are numerous. It would empower individuals to take charge of their own learning and career development, provide employers with a skilled workforce that meets their needs, promote collaboration among stakeholders in education, and contribute to the overall development of the economy.

The success of similar initiatives in other countries provides evidence that this approach can work. For example, Singapore's SkillsFuture endeavour has successfully promoted lifelong learning and skills development. Similarly, the UK's National Careers Service provides information, advice, and guidance to help people decide on learning, training, and work. These examples show that with the right resources and strategies in place, it is possible to create a culture of lifelong learning that benefits individuals, employers, and society as a whole.

The amalgamation of insightful data, global best practices, local initiatives, and collective resolve could be the cornerstone to bridge the skills gap. The actions taken today will echo through Malta's economic landscape, propelling the nation towards a more sustainable and prosperous future. The opportunity to trailblaze a future of economic resilience hinges on how effectively Malta can mend the skills gap, and the time to act is now.

The Human Capital Research Project, sponsored by the HSBC Malta Foundation in collaboration with the Malta Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Ministry of Education, is in its second year of research. The main aim is to develop strategies which will inform economic actors and educators as to the type of economy and skills-set we need to focus on, given the changes expected where the future of work is concerned.  The project is co-led by Prof Alexiei Dingli, a Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Prof Rose Marie Azzopardi, an Economist focusing on the Labour Market.