Investing in Skills accepts a training provider outside Malta
Your employer in Malta can claim a Jobsplus Investing in Skills grant toward your live online Code Labs Academy training. Realistically that is around EUR 780 per employee, the application goes in at least 7 days before you start, and the training has to be finished by 30 June 2027.
How Investing in Skills works, and what it pays
Investing in Skills (IIS) is the Jobsplus training grant for employers, co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus. A company operating in Malta applies for named employees before the training starts, the employees attend, and Jobsplus reimburses the company afterwards. Two things in the current Guidance Notes (v1.5, issue date 29 January 2026) are why this page exists. First, a trainer from outside Malta is contemplated in writing: section 3.2(e) asks only that "In cases where the training service provider is not local, a link to the training programme or the training service provider's website must be included", and section 2.8 goes as far as reimbursing flights where "the training provider resides abroad". Second, "E-Learning Online Training (Live Sessions)" is a funded category in its own right, with no Maltese accreditation attached to it. That is precisely the format our live remote cohorts run in. Now the arithmetic, because it decides whether this is worth the paperwork. Investing in Skills does not reimburse a percentage of a training invoice. It pays a standard scale of unit cost per trainee per hour, and for training that is not accredited in Malta section 2.6 caps the hours that count: "the IB will reimburse the unit cost based on the contact hours attended by each trainee up to a maximum of 25 hours per trainee for non-accredited training". At the v1.5 rates that means EUR 30.90 per hour of training and EUR 10.80 per hour of the trainee's wage, over 25 hours, plus the 7% flat rate for indirect costs in section 2.9. Roughly EUR 1,115 of eligible cost per employee, on which a small employer claims 70% and a large one 50%: about EUR 780 and about EUR 560 respectively. Against a course priced between EUR 5,000 and EUR 17,000 that is roughly 5 to 15% of tuition. It is a real contribution to a training budget and it is not tuition cover, so plan for the remainder from the start. The calendar matters more than usual right now. Applications close on 31 December 2026, the training itself must be completed by 30 June 2027, and claims are due by 31 August 2027. A cohort that finishes after June 2027 is worth nothing under this scheme, which in practice rules out most intakes starting from around the first quarter of 2027. In August 2026 that makes Investing in Skills a decision for this year rather than next. The budget is finite as well: the scheme carries roughly EUR 4 million for 2023 to 2027, applications are taken first come first served, and Jobsplus reserves the right to close the scheme before the deadline without any public notification. Approval is never automatic either. Jobsplus assesses each application on its own merits.
Your employer applies, and your employer is reimbursed. Investing in Skills is Jobsplus funding for employers operating in Malta, claimed for named members of staff. There is no individual application route, so the first move is a conversation with whoever owns the training budget rather than a form you fill in yourself.
The training has to be bought in from outside the company, and it cannot be training the law already requires. IIS funds external, job-related training that adds to what an employee can do. Our programmes in Web Development, Data Science and AI, Cybersecurity and UX/UI Design sit squarely in that category.
The provider does not have to be Maltese, and the Guidance Notes say so in writing. Section 3.2(e) asks that "In cases where the training service provider is not local, a link to the training programme or the training service provider's website must be included", and section 2.8 covers flights where "the training provider resides abroad". A trainer based abroad is built into the scheme rather than tolerated by it.
The money follows live scheduled sessions. "E-Learning Online Training (Live Sessions)" is funded with no Maltese accreditation requirement attached, and that is the format our live remote cohorts are built in. "E-Learning Online Training (Self-Led)" and "Distance Learning" are eligible only when accredited by MFHEA, ITS, UOM or MCAST, and trainee wage costs are not payable for those modes at all. We also run shorter self-paced courses with regular instructor meetings that cost far less, and those are the self-funded route for anyone this scheme does not reach: see our current courses. Do not build an IIS application around them, because under this scheme self-paced hours do not earn.
Groups are capped at 10 trainees. A maximum of 10 trainees per group applies across all beneficiaries, so where two Malta employers claim against the same public cohort the places are counted together and pro-rated between them. Flag it early if you are sending a team.
Frequently asked questions
How much will we actually get per employee?
For one of our courses, the ceiling works out at about EUR 780 per employee for a small employer and about EUR 560 for a large one. The working: Investing in Skills pays a standard scale of unit cost of EUR 30.90 per training hour and EUR 10.80 per hour of the trainee's wage, capped at 25 contact hours per trainee for training that is not accredited in Malta. That is EUR 772.50 plus EUR 270, so EUR 1,042.50 of eligible cost, plus the 7% flat rate for indirect costs, giving about EUR 1,115. Apply the aid intensity of 70% for a small employer, 60% for a medium one or 50% for a large one and you have the figures above. Against tuition of EUR 5,000 to EUR 17,000 that is roughly 5 to 15%. It is worth claiming and it is not a funded course, and the sum is only paid if Jobsplus approves the application and the claim.
Does Investing in Skills cover 50 to 70% of the course fee?
No, and this is the single most common misreading of the scheme. The 50%, 60% and 70% figures are real, but they are aid intensities applied to eligible unit costs, not to a training provider's invoice. Jobsplus reimburses a fixed unit cost per trainee per contact hour, and for training that is not accredited in Malta section 2.6 of the Guidance Notes caps the hours it will pay for at 25 per trainee. So the percentage is applied to roughly EUR 1,115 of eligible cost, not to a EUR 5,000 to EUR 17,000 fee. If a plan has been built on a percentage of tuition, rebuild it on the unit cost before anyone commits.
Does a training provider based outside Malta qualify?
Yes, and the Guidance Notes address it directly. Section 3.2(e) asks that "In cases where the training service provider is not local, a link to the training programme or the training service provider's website must be included", which presumes a provider that is not Maltese. Section 2.8 goes further and reimburses flights where "the training provider resides abroad". On top of that, "E-Learning Online Training (Live Sessions)" is a funded category with no Maltese accreditation requirement attached to it, which is the category our live remote cohorts fall into. Among the public routes in Malta this is an unusually open door for an online provider from another country.
Do self-paced or recorded hours count toward the grant?
No. Under Investing in Skills, "E-Learning Online Training (Self-Led)" and "Distance Learning" are eligible only where the training is accredited by MFHEA, ITS, UOM or MCAST, and trainee wage costs are not payable for those modes in any case. Only live synchronous contact hours earn under this scheme, and exam and assessment time is excluded as well. So the format to put on an application is our live cohort, which is scheduled and instructor-led throughout. Our shorter self-paced courses with regular instructor meetings are still on sale and cost far less, but treat them as a self-funded option rather than a grant-funded one: see our courses.
What are the deadlines, and could the money run out first?
Three dates govern this. Applications must reach Jobsplus by 31 December 2026, the training must be completed by 30 June 2027, and claims must be submitted by 31 August 2027. The middle date is the one that catches people out: a cohort that finishes in July 2027 is worth nothing under the scheme, so most intakes starting from around the first quarter of 2027 are outside it. Separately, the scheme carries roughly EUR 4 million for 2023 to 2027, applications are handled first come first served, and Jobsplus reserves the right to close the scheme before the deadline without any public notification. Three years in, that risk is real. Neither point is a reason to skip the application, but both are reasons to start it in 2026 rather than next spring.
Can I apply myself, and what happens if the application is refused?
You cannot apply yourself. Investing in Skills is claimed by the employer for named employees, so your part is to bring your manager or HR the programme, the schedule, the contact hours and the quote, and to point them at the Jobsplus page. If Jobsplus turns the application down, ask for the reason in writing, because a refusal on timing or on a missing document is a different matter from a refusal on eligibility and the first two can often be fixed for a later intake. Either way the course stays within reach: an employer can fund it directly out of its own budget, which needs nobody's approval, and if you are paying yourself we offer interest-free monthly instalments of up to 60 payments made directly to Code Labs Academy plus a discount for paying upfront.
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