Design
eventually providing space from a
career perspective in the construc-
tion industry. Very often employers
end up with a lopsided workforce (in
terms of gender) even though not
discriminating overtly in selection
procedures due to unavailable op-
tions to address the situation.
Skills Card System in the Construc-
tion Industry
Over the past years there has been
growing recognition that persons not
possessing academic qualifications
might still hold specific skills and
abilities that warrant recognition. The
United Kingdom was amongst the first
to advocate this, and the Construction
Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)
was established in 1995 to address this
matter (prior to this there was also a
recognition scheme referred to as the
Construction Relation Occupation,
CRO, card).
the construc-
tion industry ...
could possibly
be emulated
by other local
industries em-
ploying a skilled
workforce
32
Q 2 , 2017
The CISC system offers skilled workers formal validation
of their abilities.
In Malta, seminal work is being car-
ried out by the Building Industry
Consultative Council (BICC) the
whereby a Construction Industry
Skills Card (CISC) system has been
proposed through which employees
will be eventually required to pos-
sess the card in order to work with-
in a construction site (a transitional
period is in place for 5 years starting
from 2015). The system is structured
over a number of tiers allowing par-
ticipants in the scheme to achieve
MQF certification equivalent up to a
Level 5 qualification and with valid-
ity for a 5 year period. Recognition
can also be sought through two dif-
ferent paths namely through a writ-
ten examination or through a letter
of recommendation. This system
offers recognition to service and ex-
perience and allows skilled person-
nel to achieve a formal validation of
their abilities.
Within this area, the construction in-
dustry is at a trend setting level, which
could possibly be emulated by other
local industries employing a skilled
workforce, such as the automotive,
manufacturing and hospitality in-
dustries. The transition from having
CISC as a desired to one in which it
is required will need to be carefully
monitored and managed in order to
avoid problems in implementation.
Health and Safety Matters
A key component of the CISC system
in Malta calls for all persons in pos-
session of the card to undergo train-
ing in relation to health and safety,
with this being an obligatory compo-
nent at all levels of qualification. This
highlights the importance of the area
within construction at the moment
and is particularly warranted in that
DESIGN&BUILD