Prof. Maurice Grech, Principal and CEO of MCAST, will be relinquishing his post

at the end

of this academic year in September. Previously Dean of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Faculty at the University of Malta, Prof. Grech will be resuming his lecturing, mentoring, research, and professional responsibilities in the Department of Metallurgy and Materials at the University the following month

Tell us something about the circumstances that led to your appointment as Principal of MCAST.

I was appointed Principal and CEO of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) during the academic year 2007-2008. MCAST was set up in 2001 and by the time I took office, the bold vision of the then Minister of Education, Youth and Employment Dr Louis Galea, who was also the founder of MCAST, had already been realised.

When my predecessor’s contract came to an end, I was invited to consider taking the MCAST helm with the aim of consolidating the sterling work of all those who had worked for the college since its early days and to steer MCAST into a new phase of development. I was particularly excited by the prospects this unexpected challenge would have in store.

I must confess, however, that initially I was in two minds. As Head of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials at university, I had just secured substantial funding, to the tune of €6 million, for state-of-the-art equipment intended to significantly enhance the research potential of my department. I had also been leading an exciting Leonardo da Vinci project in which five prestigious universities and six international companies were participating. Yet, there was something that put my mind at rest and encouraged me to accept the MCAST offer. Staff I had engaged some years before had almost completed their doctorate studies overseas and were soon to resume their duties at university. As a result, I was confident that the department would continue heading in the right direction.

Change brings new ideas, new ways of doing things in an organisation. Was there anything that helped you get started in the right direction?

The MCAST Strategic Plan had just been published, providing me with an ideal point of reference and clearly determining the College’s vision, mission, objectives and strategies. I was further guided by my firm conviction that the college needed to have close ties with industry. Vocational programmes would provide learners with a sound academic background and the relevant hands-on experience. This would ensure the acquisition of those skills and competences required by industry. The early realisation that local funding, even if substantial, was never going to be sufficient to finance MCAST’s ambitious objectives, led me to seek external funding and here my previous experience with EU funded projects proved helpful.

You spoke of steering MCAST into a new phase of development. Can you elaborate?

MCAST had already been in existence for six years. It had succeeded to rationalise post-16 education and training, also doing away with a number of obsolete practices. The government had invested heavily yet some workshops, machinery, equipment and facilities were in dire need of improvement. Nine European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) projects, targeting the specific requirements of the institutes gave MCAST the much-needed boost.

There was also a lot one could do to develop courses and support staff development. I was determined to ensure that all MCAST staff would start benefiting from opportunities that would enhance their knowledge, behaviour, skills, values and beliefs. This would help them perform their assigned duties to the best of their abilities and help them advance in their careers. Continuous professional development was crucial, particularly in the light of the planned degree programmes and the need to increase student support, retention rate and keep the quality of programmes offered at all levels.

Can you give us some tangible examples of MCAST’s achievements during your headship?

It was important to present MCAST as a credible alternative to the traditional educational route. I am glad to say that under my headship and with every day that passed, MCAST gained more respect from industry, learners, parents, politicians, the general public and internationally. Now, more and more students join MCAST because they prefer its methods of delivery and the emphasis on hands-on experience.

Through the introduction of the vocational degrees in 2009, MCAST today offers advanced programmes that have an equivalent academic rigour as traditional programmes but which also deliver the content through more contextual and hands-on approaches. Their introduction has spurred the vocational option, confirming the belief that vocational training can and does provide a path to higher education qualifications.

No less then 19 different degree programmes were financed through a European Social Fund (ESF) Project, which involved over 8,000 lecturing hours and over 130 university lecturers.

The college also offered over 850 training opportunities to its staff. It is probably hard to identify an MCAST employee who has not benefited, directly or indirectly from some form of development opportunity. Among the benefits resulting from the aforementioned project, 20 members of staff were awarded Masters’ scholarships that included a coveted 12-week research placement in various German, British and Italian institutions. Another 135 lecturers benefited from the Vocational Teacher Training Unit’s courses and all MCAST academic staff received BTEC related training courses, covering such aspects as assignment design, assessment, appropriate feedback, and verification.

Tell us something about the recruitment and progress of students at MCAST.

The increase in numbers of learners, widening of participation, achievement, retention, progression and equal opportunities was another top priority over the last few years. The academic year 2009-2010 saw a 16.5 per cent increase in the student population while September 2011 saw learner figures exceed the 6,000 mark with regard to full timers only. Part-time learners exceeded another 4,000. The rise in numbers was also due to the introduction of several new courses, all designed in line with industry requirements.

As an inclusive college, MCAST’s attraction lies in the fact that it caters for different levels of learner skills and competences. Students can join MCAST courses at the level they are able to cope with in terms of programme content. As time goes by, many of them realise that they are in fact able to progress successfully to higher levels of study. Qualifications are career focused and our provision has clear and explicit links to industry standards in many professions.

At the lower end of the qualifications framework, a mutual enrichment approach sees the embedding of the so-called key skills – English, Maltese, Maths and IT – within the vocational components of programmes of study. These stimulating learning methods are proving successful for the holistic development and retention of students.

Does vocational training enjoy equal esteem with its academic counterpart?

The litmus test of any qualification is how well it equips the learner with the ability to contribute to the economy and society in general. As regards employers, vocational training is held in high regard as it strikes a balance between theory and practical experience. We should therefore strive to create a culture, similar to Germany’s, in which the skills required for such work are highly respected. Learners must of course be aware that qualification requirements are increasing in all occupational categories including those at the lowest rung of the skill-occupation ladder. Checks and controls will, in future, ensure that those responsible to carry out practical jobs will also need to hold a licence.

Time and time again, MCAST students have proved that they are skilled and flexible and industry considers them to be ideally qualified for the purpose. This is the result of the close collaboration the college maintains with industry and all stakeholders so that the programmes offered are both relevant and appropriate. Collaboration with the Aviation Industry and the Pharmaceutical Sector, the Green Technology courses and those for Polymer technicians and the course for Manufacturing Excellence are some of the initiatives that have been designed with industry for industry and which have contributed to growth in the sector as well as enhanced the chances of employment and progression in the jobs already held. Opportunities created in the aviation sector alone topped 1,000 new jobs!

Which new major projects are currently in hand or being planned for the near future?

MCAST has benefited and is still benefiting substantially from both ESF and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding. In the last months alone, the college has been successful in securing no less than three new major ESF projects to a total funding value of €20 million. In the coming years, these will lead to the accreditation of prior experiential learning, the launching of distance learning programmes, the upgrade of home grown courses and those at the lower ranks namely, levels 1, 2 and 3, as well as staff training.

The most significant ERDF project which is certainly worth mentioning is the Master Plan Project for the new campus, estimated to cost €120 million and which started taking shape in 2011 with the building of the newly-established Institute of Applied Science.

If you were to name one last important initiative launched during the last years, what would it be?

Quality Assurance refers to the processes and procedures that systematically monitor different aspects of the services and facilities we offer. By setting up the Quality Department and through staff appraisals we are able to ensure that quality standards are being met, and where possible improved on, with the primary aim of enhancing our learning and teaching provision and supporting staff.

We have established an ongoing assessment of programme quality and an alignment of our courses with national priorities and needs, professional standards and accreditation requirements. Our collaboration with the Education and Training Corporation (ETC) has also resulted in an improvement in apprenticeship schemes for MCAST students whereby placements are better planned, assessed and assigned credit values when assessment criteria are met.

What are the reasons behind your decision to leave MCAST?

When I joined MCAST, I knew that this was not going to be the final stop before my retirement. Having achieved the quantifiable goals I had set out, I realised that this was the right time for me to move on.

Yet, ironically, I have now found myself in a similar quandary to the one I was in when I was offered the MCAST post five years ago. At MCAST there are lots of expectations in view of exciting plans and ensuing opportunities. It was not easy to decide to leave the college that is teeming with activity and with a lot more in store in view of the upcoming projects in the years to come. Then again, I know that the various MCAST teams who will be in charge of these developments are no longer new to such challenges and I am confident that over the last years, they have garnered the skills and competences necessary to see the work through successfully. Though I will miss MCAST, this sets my mind at rest, allowing me to resume those activities, among which lecturing, tuition and my direct involvement in research projects, which were probably what I missed most during the last five years.

I cannot let this opportunity go by without expressing my thanks to all those who have worked with me over the past five years. With the support of the Minister of Education and Employment Dolores Cristina, the Board of Governors, past and present and all MCAST staff, industry, the Planning and Priorities Coordination Department (PPCD), the Malta Qualification Council (MQC), the ETC and other stakeholders, we have achieved even more than I had anticipated in the available timeframes. MCAST has certainly reached a higher level of maturity which will stand the college in good stead for the consolidation of past achievements, and when aspiring for further success.