The introduction of a skills card for foreigners seeking jobs in the tourism industry has been postponed from January until the end of March to enable it to be fine-tuned, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has said.

In October, the government announced that non-EU workers seeking employment in hotels, bars and restaurants must hold a skills card to work in the tourism industry in 2024, with plans to expand the skills card as a requirement for Maltese and EU workers in 2025.

The scheme would bind third-country nationals applying for a work visa in Malta’s tourism industry to pass a skills assessment before their application can be processed.

The skills card also comes at a cost to applicants, with the mandatory training course expected to set them back by €450 and €125 for an additional in-person assessment once the candidate reaches Malta.

However, shortly after this announcement, Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Tony Zahra said it would not be feasible for the scheme to be rolled out by its original deadline of January 2024 as there was too little time for the industry to be able to comply with the requirements.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Bartolo said the introduction of the skills card is the first goal the Malta Tourism Authority is set on achieving next year in a bid to attract higher-spending tourists. The decision to postpone rolling out the skills card scheme had been made after consultation with industry stakeholders, he added.

“We had initially said we were going to start with the skills card from January 1 but, after consultation, we realised we could make some changes that will leave us with a more practical system and which guarantees the industry has the workers it needs. So we are making changes,” Bartolo said.

“Right now, we are working on the courses that are going to be offered and we plan to start rolling it out by the end of the first quarter next year.”

According to the MTA, the training and assessment programme for the card will include basic aptitude in English and housekeeping as well as knowledge of the ‘basic Maltese tourism product’.

This will require candidates to learn about Malta’s history and tourism industry as well as basic Maltese phrases.

They will also be instructed on customer service practices and personal grooming. 

After arriving in the country, the person must pass another assessment that tests their practical skills in their chosen job.