The Secretariat for Small Business and the Self Employed and MCAST launched a joint project to give a number of students the opportunity to gain experience that will help them once they finish their studies.

Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and the Self Employed, Edwin Vassallo, announced this project in the presence of MCAST principal Frank Edwards and ETC chief executive officer Sue Vella.

MCAST students are being invited to participate in this mobility programme that is part of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Fifty-one students who are on the ETC apprenticeship scheme will be given the opportunity to learn more about self-employment. This project is completely financed by the European Union and is expected to cost around e80,000.

“This project will give Maltese students the opportunity to travel abroad and spend three weeks gaining work experience with a different company or industry. Apart from developing the students’ capabilities as workers, this project will also allow them to learn more about themselves, and it will help them develop an entrepreneurial mentality with a different perspective to work and self employment,” Mr Vassallo said.

The project is being supported by schools and companies from nine countries, including Italy, Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Germany.

Since the number of places is limited, there is a chance that interviews may be carried out to select the students.