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CIR 04/26 | Construction Industry Skill Card Update

This circular serves as an update to Circular 01/2026 issued on 26th March 2026 concerning the purported requirement for periti to hold a register for a skill card.

Members will recall that on 24th March 2026 the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) was contacting periti via email indicating that they are legally required to possess a skill card to enter a construction site as from January 2027.

Circular CIR 01/2026 clarified that no such regulatory requirement exists since the regulations regarding the construction industry skills cards are still being finalised and have thus not been brought into force.

The National Building Council (NBC), composed of Kamra tal-Periti and Malta Development Association, requested an urgent meeting with the BCA to seek clarifications on the skill card scheme to ensure that there is broad consensus on the legal text and adequate time for the industry to prepare itself, particularly in view of the envisaged timeframes. The absence of published regulations was not only creating uncertainty, but making it challenging for compliant course curricula to be developed and accredited in time. Indeed, while the regulator’s intent is for the course to reach EQF Level 2, many courses claiming to be providing the necessary training for the attainment of the skill card have only achieved an EQF Level 1 accreditation.

The NBC met with the BCA on 7th May 2026 during which the above concerns were raised. In particular, the NBC emphasised that periti, whose training reaches a minimum of EQF Level 7, should not be subjected to the same regime as unskilled labourers.

The Council welcomes initiatives aimed at improving health and safety awareness and competence within the construction industry. However, the Perit profession is already regulated under a statutory warrant system, which requires advanced academic qualifications, supervised professional training, and compliance with a dedicated legal and regulatory framework.

Moroever, the new Periti Act envisages the introduction of mandatory continuous professional development governed by the Kamra tal-Periti. During the AGM of 2024, former council member Perit Dr Rebecca Dalli Gonzi had given a thorough presentation of the CPD framework the Kamra is working on, which will include health and safety and risk management as core subjects.

During the May meeting, BCA CEO Perit Roderick Bonnici agreed that periti should not be required to participate in any training courses to attain a skill card given that they are in possession of relevant academic and professional qualifications that exceed EQF Level 2, and that the draft regulations will reflect this.

The Council of the Kamra tal-Periti eagerly awaits being given a draft of the regulations when they are written to be able to also guide members of the profession on the status of non-warranted technical staff who undertake site-work.

 

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CIR 02/26 | PA Circular on Agricultural Land Holdings, Restoration Projects, Visual Simulations, and Minor Amendment Requests

The Kamra tal-Periti was referred a draft PA circular 2/26 on 30th April 2026 for its review and feedback. This was immediately referred to all its internal structures, in particular the Council and the Policy Committee on Heritage. The Council convened on Monday to review the detailed feedback from PC Heritage and to finalise its position on the entire circular.

This afternoon, while the secretariat was finalising the document for submission to the PA, it was noted that the PA issued the circular before receiving the Kamra’s feedback. This is deeply regretted as there are several improvements that are required to the circular as published.

While it is unusual for the Council to publish its positions on informal consultation processes, the Council felt it is appropriate to bring to the attention of members of the profession its position on the contents of the latest PA circular.

The Council shall be issuing further communications, including possible directives, on how periti are to proceed in the coming days.

 

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Photo source: Times of Malta
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CIR 01/26 | Construction Industry Skill Card

The Council refers to an email sent out by the BCA to periti on 24th March 2026 with details on how to apply and pay for a skill card. The email goes on to say that anyone not in possession of such a card will not be allowed to enter a construction site, including during the finishing stages.

After further inquiries, it emerged that the BCA is informing members of the profession that the requirement for the possession of a skill card also applies to periti.

It is pertinent to underscore that such obligation does not presently exist. There are indeed no regulations in place stipulating this requirement.

 

While the Council is in favour of upskilling labourers to ensure that they receive basic awareness training on health and safety risks until they go through further formalised training in their respective trade, periti are governed by a warrant regime based on high-level academic and professional education, and an ad-hoc law and regulator setting significantly higher benchmarks of qualifications and practice standards.

 

Representatives of the Council met with the BCA yesterday afternoon to clarify the matter. The following points were raised:

  1. The Council was not presented with any draft regulations and has thus never agreed to the imposition of such requirements on periti.
  1. Likewise, the course content has not been reviewed by the Council of the Kamra and has thus not consented to it.
  1. The Kamra tal-Periti, not the Building & Construction Authority, is the legal regulator of periti. The BCA would be stepping outside of its legal scope if it sought to regulate periti.
  1. Banning a perit from entering a construction site means that nobody can enter such a site, irrespective of whether they possess a skill card, since the Code of Police Laws requires that a perit provide general supervision on site.
  1. The Periti Act has provisions which are expected to be brought into force over the coming months that introduce mandatory continuous professional development. The CPD framework had been presented to periti during a workshop held in July 2024 and adopted in its final draft by the AGM in December 2024. Among the mandatory core subjects to be introduced is a specific course on risk management and H&S.

 

The BCA agreed to review the matter and will revert in due course. The BCA also clarified that the regulations pertaining to skill cards are still being drafted.

Meanwhile, periti are advised to await further communication from the Council on the matter.

 

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