Professional associations not included

Ibn Campusino (The Sunday Times, November 7) wrote: "The University, the Ministry of Education, future employers, the employment agencies and the student bodies themselves have a lot of homework to do and a lot of statistics to gather and study to present the best solutions to our graduate employment dilemma."

Ibn Campusino failed to mention the need for professional associations to be involved in tertiary education given the fact that the University is training future professionals and considering the important transition when University graduates move into the working world.

The Malta Federation of Professional Associations, set up 34 years ago, representing professional associations in Malta, has stressed over these last years the need for close collaboration between the University's Faculty Boards and the particular professional associations.

The federation believes that each professional association needs to be directly involved in the training and education of tomorrow's professionals and should therefore be represented on the particular Faculty Board. We see this as a reasonable and sensible bridge between each profession and the faculty. Each profession can contribute greatly towards a curriculum which facilitates the students' entry into the world of work.

One must not forget that ultimately it is the professionals themselves who will form part of the selection process at job interviews. This is another reason why each professional association should be directly involved in the education of future professionals.