“We Mean Business” National Info Day

On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the Maltese “We Mean Business” National Info Day will show how companies benefit from hosting international trainees. The National Info Day will take place at Malta Enterprise Corporation in Pietà.

The “We Mean Business” initiative launched by the European Commission encourages companies to host more Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci trainee placements to boost young people’s skills and employability. Having foreign trainees also helps to improve companies' competitiveness and enhances their search for new staff.

The event will be kicked-off by Brigitte Tanti, Manager of Malta Enterprise, who will introduce the speakers. Afterwards, the EC Representation Office in Valletta will speak about “Boosting skills and Employability”, and representatives of EUPA (European Union Programmes Agency) will give an overview of the LEONARDO DA VINCI and ERASMUS trainees.

Stakeholders from various organisations such as the European Commission, Chambers of Commerce, the national agencies running Erasmus and Leonardo, and other umbrella groups will share their experience and insights at the Maltese National Info Day.

Traineeships can bring benefits to companies, enabling them to identify excellence in potential employees who, with their fresh ideas, could be vital to the companies’ future productivity and competitiveness. Few Maltese companies are aware of the possibility of hosting a trainee in the framework of a European programme. In order to increase the number of potential host companies, “We Mean Business” strives to demonstrate the benefits of international placements to businesses.

Mr. Laurence Zerafa, Director of Library and Learning Resource Centre,  MCAST – the Malta College of Art, Science and Technology, offers this insight into the practical outcomes of placements: “The MCAST Library has been hosting foreign students for both short stays (2-3 weeks) and longer stays (2-6 months) for some 4-5 years. Besides the benefit that students get (work experience, practising English, integrating with people from a different country and culture), the library itself has benefitted a lot from the presence of these students. Besides the direct work they do for us, they also bring in new ideas that stimulate the permanent staff complement to analyse current work practices. To a large degree, the success of their stay depends on their knowledge of English. Over all it is an experience worth the effort and certainly of mutual benefit.”
                                                                                                      
For more information on why and how to host a trainee, please visit http://we-mean-business.europa.eu.