Malta mission: member pushes to raise quality issues on island

Jesmond Chetcuti links CIOB and maltese government in a bid to boost local industry.

A project manager in Malta is on a mission to raise
standards in the construction industry there and to promote the values of
membership and the CIOB.

Jesmond Chetcuti, who became a member of the CIOB last year,
has single-handedly brought issues to the highest attention: the Maltese
government.

Chetcuti spent almost 10 years working in the UK
construction industry and on his return to Malta in 2014 the contrast in
quality and standards spurred him into action.

“I felt it was my duty to bring the CIOB and what it
represents to Malta,” explains Chetcuti.

“It is not easy. Luckily the minister for infrastructure and
major projects, Hon. Ian Borg, is not only on the same wavelength but also
supports the initiative 100 per cent.”

In February this year Chetcuti organised a meeting in Malta
between the CIOB CEO Caroline Gumble and the minister.

“The meeting was a very positive one in which it was agreed
that the vision of both parties is the same and, by joining forces, the aim of
improving quality to the local industry could be even more accelerated,” he
says.

One important factor that came out from this meeting was the
lack of legal recognition of the project manager in Malta. The minister
promised to rectify this anomaly and in the near future, the role of a
construction project manager will be legally on par with the other professions
within the same industry.

Since this meeting Chetcuti has been promoting the CIOB to
the industry, explaining what the institute brings to the table.

“To date various meetings have taken place – Covid didn’t
help as I had to reschedule everything and meet people in small groups – and in
the coming months I am expecting that all this will bear its fruit and
applications (locally) to join the CIOB will increase,” he says.

Chetcuti began his construction career aged 17 as an
apprentice tradesman. By the age of 25 he had qualified as a surveyor working
on various major projects on the island, from roads to hotels.

When Malta joined the EU, Chetcuti fulfilled an ambition to
work abroad. He moved to Scotland, working as a surveyor and then building his
engineering knowledge with civil works projects and training. He eventually
worked with Graham Construction where he classes James Mulroy as the mentor
that opened his eyes to quality and standards issues.

“He was my first project manager that through his unique way
of management, showed you how things are done and more importantly why things
are done like that and the repercussions if this didn’t happen,” he says.

“I owe everything to this company. I worked on schools,
hospitals, historic buildings, you name it. I had the opportunity to work
with the best architects and engineers in the UK, where I continued to learn
and develop.”

Because of family issues, Chetcuti had to return to Malta but this is when he decided to pursue CIOB membership and lobby for higher standards in Malta.