Institute of Tourism Studies launches new training school to address industry skills gap

A new training school was launched within the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS), which provides high-quality training programs to upskill workers and address the skills shortage in both the local and international hospitality and tourism industry.

“Human resources are a fundamental aspect of the tourism sector,” said Mr Bartolo, adding that basic communication skills and an understanding of ethics can be determining factors in a positive or negative experience for any visitor.

The training school has made programmes available adapted to the different needs of companies in the sector and delivers them on a flexible basis to maximise the number of students participating in the course.

“Malta must continue to renew its tourism product to remain competitive for years to come,” concluded Mr Bartolo.

The situation in Malta’s labour market has been worsening for many years with shortages reaching new highs both in terms of skills and labour. The hospitality and catering industry have been especially vulnerable to the shortage.

The need to link the workforce shortage with a skills gap shortage was recently brought up by Abigail Agius Mamo, CEO of the Malta Chamber of SME. It has led to businesses employing and training workers from scratch, who then end up getting poached by their competitors for higher pay.

The ITS training school may be able to address this issue to some degree, however it will inevitably take time to bear fruit.

Featured Image: Department of Information - Clodagh O'Neill