Budding farmers and ETC

I refer to the item Budding Farmers Taught Modern Ways (June 21), particularly to the sentence "The Employment and Training Corporation offers the students work placements in summer".

Readers may want to know that in the case of these agriculture apprentices - and other apprentices under various other callings - the ETC does more than "place students in summer". The placement of students starts in summer but lasts throughout the whole apprenticeship, which in the case of the agribusiness apprenticeship is between three and four years long. The apprentices' experience in summer is considered as an observation period whereby the employer does not pay the apprentice a stipend since he/she is on a trial basis. During this time both parties may choose not to commit themselves.

Throughout the whole apprenticeship well-trained ETC executives, besides assisting these apprentices in securing a placement, also monitor their training and take care of the trade testing stage where, if successful, they are then awarded the journeyman's certificate.

May I take this opportunity to call on employers to recruit apprentices following callings under the two apprenticeship schemes run by ETC; the Technician Apprenticeship Scheme (TAS) and Extended Skill Training Scheme (ESTS). Apprenticeship schemes have proved to be an effective vocational education and training, based on the dual system, whereby the apprentice follows a tuition course at an educational institution and carries out job training at a recognised employer workplace.

Further details may be obtained from the ETC's training services division on 2201301 or training@etc.org.mt