A meeting held recently in Gozo of the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) Board of Directors, concentrated on the employment and training situation on the island of Gozo.
The Minister for Gozo, Dr Anton Refalo, representatives of the Social Partners in Gozo, entrepreneurs from Gozo and members of the GRTU also attended the meeting.
The Chairman of the ETC, Alfred Grixti, opened the meeting with a detailed analysis of European Union funds which have been allocated to Gozo.
Mr Grixti said that through the Employment Aid Programme (EAP) € 13.65 million had been spent between Malta and Gozo, with a total € 3.1 million allocated to Gozo which accounted for 23% of all funds.
He also confirmed the recent anounncement that, additionally the Managing Authority will be allocating another € 1.9 million to this scheme, extended for the year 2014 to the island of Gozo only. This new fund for Gozo will serve as a pilot project in streamlining the processes operating in the repayment of funds to the beneficiaries, he said.
Mr Grixti added that the Board together with management of the Corporation, in agreement with the competent authorities “will be doing their utmost to make these funds enter the Gozitan economy as soon as possible.”
“The Board,” Mr Grixti said had “discussed specific work related problems in Gozo, including employment for the disabled, youth and young graduates and the tourism sector with respective investment opportunities from overseas.”
These additional funds will extend the help for Gozo through the “Employment Aid Programme’ to assist and incentivize all those entrepreneurs who want to operate and take on new employees on the island of Gozo, Mr Grixti said.
This extension will be addressed and targeted specifically and exclusively at Entrepreneurs and Enterprises in Gozo only and is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF).
Mr Grixti gave details were also given on a number of practical initiatives that will lead to new jobs on Gozo, the necessary restructuring of the ETC is underway to improve its services and allocate its administrative work to Gozo. It is also directly involved in talks with local and foreign investors, who are considering ínvestment in Gozo.
“Among these investors is an already well established company in Malta specialising in the IT field, which is planning to invest in Gozo in the very near future, creating over one hundred new jobs.”
Mr. Grixti concluded by saying that that they are also holding talks with a foreign company which is very interested in offering an air link between Gozo and Malta and also between Gozo and Sicily.
These initiatives, Mr Grixti said, will create even more new jobs on the island of Gozo.