TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME ġ S.L.343.22 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 343.22
TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME
1st January, 1990
LEGAL NOTICE 82 of 1990, as amended by Legal Notices 101 of 1991,
198 of 1997, 165 of 1998, 181 of 1999, 6 of 2000, and 109 and 275 of 2003.
Citation and 
application.
1. The title of this Scheme is the Technician Apprenticeship
Scheme and it shall apply in respect of persons who have entered
into an apprenticeship in any of the trades set out in the Schedule
on or after the 1st January, 1990.
Interpretation.
"Director of Labour" includes any officer of the Department of
Labour duly authorised by the said Director to act on his behalf;
"Director of Education" means the Director of Education and
includes any officer of the Department of Education duly
authorised by the said Director to act on his behalf.
Entry 
requirements.
3. No person may enter into an agreement of apprenticeship
in any of the callings mentioned in this scheme unless:
( a ) he has completed Form V of a recognised secondary
school and is in possession of:
(i) two passes at the Ordinary Level of the General
Certificate of Education in Physics,
Mathematics or Technical Drawing/Graphical
Communication; or
(ii) one pass at the Ordinary Level of the General
Certificate of Education in Physics, Mathematics
or Technical Drawing/Graphical Communication
and has passed an aptitude test, after having
been required to undergo such test by the
Director of Education; or
( b ) he has completed a Trade School course and has
obtained a City and Guilds General Course Certificate
in Engineering; or
( c ) he has been exempted by the Director of Education
from the requirements mentioned in paragraphs ( a )
and ( b ).
Period of 
apprenticeship.
4. The period of apprenticeship shall be of four consecutive
years.
Undertaking by the 
employer.
5. An employer engaging an apprentice under this scheme
shall undertake to instruct him or to grant him facilities to be
instructed in accordance with such schedules of work as the
Director of Education may from time to time establish in
connection with any particular trade.
Apprenticeship 
years.
6. (1) During the first year of apprenticeship, the apprentice
shall be required to attend full time at a recognised educational
establishment.
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(2) During the second and subsequent years of apprenticeship,
the apprentice shall be required to attend at recognised educational
establishments on such days or for such periods as the Director of
Education may determine, and the employer shall release the
apprentice for such attendance:
Provided that the Director of Education may, if he so
deems necessary, by notice in writing to the employer, extend or
reduce the length of any period during which the apprentice is
required to attend the educational establishment.
Training in the 
calling.
7. The employer shall provide the apprentice with training in
accordance with the calling for which the apprentice has been
engaged. The Director of Labour or the Director of Education may
require the employer to furnish reports of the apprentice’s progress
from time to time and may require the apprentice to be submitted to
such tests as may be necessary to ascertain that he has achieved
adequate progress.
Hours of work.
Cap. 452.
8. (1) The hours of work of apprentices shall not exceed the
ordinary hours applicable to the employer’s establishment in
accordance with the provisions of the Employment and Industrial
Relations Act.
(2) No employer shall engage an apprentice on overtime
without the prior approval in writing of the Director of Labour,
who may, in granting such approval, impose such conditions as he
may deem fit. The rates of remuneration for overtime work shall be
those specified in the Wage Regulation Order applicable to the
establishment.
Maintenance 
grants and wages.
Substituted by:
L.N. 181 of 1999.
Amended by:
L.N. 109 of 2003.
9. (1) An apprentice under this scheme shall be entitled to a
maintenance grant and a wage as follows:
( a ) during the first year of the apprenticeship -
(i) a grant of Lm140 paid on a once-only basis to
cover expenses related to the purchase of
educational equipment,
(ii) a fixed maintenance grant of Lm40 per month
made available during the academic year, and
(iii) a Lm100 per month, outside the academic year
payable to apprentices participating in on-the-
job training with an employer's establishment,
approved by the Corporation;
( b ) during the second year of the apprenticeship -
(i) apprentices attending full-time at the
educational establishement shall be eligible to
( a )(ii) and (iii) above; while
(ii) apprentices attending part-time at the
educational establishment shall be eligible for
the following -
a maintenance grant of Lm40 per month for
twelve months paid by the Government, and
a wage of Lm1,120 per annum paid by the
employer;
TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME ġ S.L.343.22 3
( c ) during the Third Year of the apprenticeship -
(i) a maintenance grant of Lm40 per month for
twelve months paid by the Government, and
(ii) a wage of Lm1,170 per annum paid by the
employer;
( d ) during the Fourth Year of the apprenticeship -
a wage of Lm 1,700 per annum paid by the
employer.
(2) The wage payable by the employer shall be paid at regular
intervals according to the practice of the establishment.
Cap. 452.
(3) From the year of apprenticeship that the apprentices
become eligible to start their on-the job training, apprentices will
be entitled to half the annual statutory bonus payable in accordance
with article 23 of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.
The bonus is payable by the employer.
(4) Regulations 11, 12, 13 and 14 shall apply from the year of
the apprenticeship that the apprentice shall become eligible to
initiate the on-the-job training.
(5) Maintenance grants are paid to apprentices who -
( a ) are Maltese citizens and with at least one parent being
a Maltese citizen,
( b ) have resided in Malta for a period of not less than five
years from the date of commencement of the
apprenticeship.
(6) ( a ) First year apprentices who are eligible to start their on-
the-job training during the second year, shall not be
entitled to the maintenance grant during the period
outside the academic year, unless they attend for
practical training at an establishment approved by the
Corporation.
( b ) The same principle as above applies to those second
year apprentices who are eligible to start their on-the-
job training during their third year of apprenticeship.
(7) Apprentices who absent themselves from the theoretical
tuition at school shall have their maintenance grant deducted
accordingly.
(8) Apprentices who absent themselves from practical training
shall have their wage deducted by their employer accordingly.
(9) Apprentices who are required to repeat a year of the
apprenticeship, shall not be entitled to the maintenance grant
during the year that they repeat. However, they will be entitled to
the wage issued by the employer provided they attend for practical
training.
Holidays.
Substituted by:
L.N. 109 of 2003.
10. Apprentices shall be entitled to national holidays with full
pay and to all public holidays with full pay and to such working
days vacation leave calculated as follows:
two days of vacation leave for every twenty days
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attendance at the employer’s establishment,
accumulated as on-the-job training;
the employer shall not grant such days of vacation
leave on any day during which the apprentice is
required to attend an educational establishment in
accordance with the provisions of regulation 6.
Sick leave.
Cap. 318.
11. An apprentice shall be entitled to fifteen working days sick
leave on full pay and to a further fifteen working days on half pay
in every calendar year less any sickness benefit to which he may be
entitled under the Social Security Act, provided that a medical
certificate certifying incapacity for work covering the period of
absence is presented to the employer, who may require his medical
practitioner to examine the apprentice.
Bereavement 
leave.
12. An apprentice shall be allowed two days paid leave on the
occasion of the death of any of the following: the wife, husband,
mother, father (or the person who at that time was acting as mother
or father, as the case may be), son, daughter, brother or sister of the
apprentice.
Marriage leave. 13. Apprentices shall be allowed three working days paid leave
on the occasion of their marriage.
Injury leave.
Added by:
L.N. 198 of 1997.
Cap. 318.
14. An apprentice shall be entitled to one year injury leave on
full pay less any amount of injury benefit to which the apprentice
may be entitled in terms of the Social Security Act, if he is injured
during the actual discharge of his duties at a work place and the
injury is not due to any contributory negligence by the apprentice
concerned or to any contravention on the part of such apprentice of
any safety rules laid down by the employer.
Termination of 
apprenticeship.
Amended by:
L.N. 198 of 1997.
15. (1) An apprentice shall follow such study courses and sit
such examinations as are laid down in the course schedule. 
(2) No apprentice shall be allowed to proceed to the third year
unless he passes a test aimed at ascertaining satisfactory progress in
the acquisition of the practical skills appertaining to his calling.
(3) If, at any time during the apprenticeship, the apprentice
fails in any of the examinations or practical tests, he will be
allowed a resit at the following session:
Provided that if an apprentice fails for the second
consecutive time, he shall be deemed incapable of pursuing further
training and shall have his apprenticeship terminated.
Amended by:
L.N. 101 of 1991;
L.N. 165 of 1998;
L.N. 275 of 2003.
SCHEDULE
1. Mechanical Engineering: includes calling of Mechanical
technician, Motor vehicle technician, Tool maker and Die maker,
Refrigeration technician.
2. Electrical Engineering: includes Electrical technician.
3. Electronics Engineering: includes Industrial electronics
technician and Micro-computer technician.
TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME ġ S.L.343.22 5
4. Telecommunications Technician.
5. Draughtsmanship: includes Electrical draughtsman,
Mechanical draughtsman, Civil Engineering draughtsman.
6. Industrial design.
7. Agricultural Technician.
8. Computer Aided Engineering Technician.
9. Computer Hardware Technician.
