A group of speech and language therapy graduates have been unable to begin their careers because the person who issues their licence to operate has resigned and not been replaced.

The six graduates have all been offered jobs but have been left in a state of limbo for months because of the situation.

To get their warrants, they must receive extra certification from the Council for the Professions Complementary to Medicine (CPCM).

However, since October, they have been unable to acquire this additional documentation because the CPCM’s registrar resigned and the registrar’s signature is needed to validate the document.

“The inability to forecast when we will be licensed professionals leaves us feeling disheartened, not to mention the lack of financial income which we have lost as a result of this situation,” one of the graduates told Times of Malta, on condition of anonymity.

Correspondence seen by Times of Malta show that the graduates were first told the council “could not operate” until a new registrar was appointed. The CPCM’s website, which lists all its members, also shows the registrar’s post as being vacant.

The graduates took the issue to the Allied Health Services Directorate, which was able to get the Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci, to sign off on temporary documentation.

However, last month, they were told that, though the documents were reviewed and accepted by the CPCM, the minutes were still being compiled and required a final signature before the graduates can be given the official notification to start their new jobs.

They remain unwarranted. The graduates said they are feeling let down and discouraged, noting that it is illegal to practise as a speech and language pathologist without CPCM registration, giving them little to no prospects for their career without it.

“After four years of study, which we successfully completed in the hope of being able to provide a service, we are deprived of the right to work within our field,” another of the graduates said.

“Some of us had planned to take a gap-year from studying to attain work experience and then choose an area of speciality based on clinical experience.

“This situation has interfered with our future academic plans and, subsequently, this may also have future implications as we may not be entitled for study leave unless we have been in employment for a number of months,” the graduate added.

“Unfortunately, although many professionals have tried their best to assist us and have empathised with us, the process has become so lengthy that we feel we are not respected as new professionals within the sector.”