The first graduation ceremony at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, MCAST, saw 674 students graduate and heard Education Minister Louis Galea tell the graduands to view their experience at MCAST not as the end of a voyage but merely as the beginning of a lifetime of education, training and continuous development.
“MCAST has a very important contribution to make to the development of a forward looking, knowledge-based economy through the provision of an appropriately qualified workforce. In this regard the college is both forward-looking and forward-thinking in the development of curricula and the choice of qualifications it makes available to all the students who study at the college,” Dr Galea said.
Dr Galea added that MCAST senior managers regularly meet industrialists who already operate in Malta or who intend to set up shop here following contacts with Malta Enterprise. “Some examples of the college’s flexibility are the tailor-made courses that it runs to satisfy the requirements of industry, for example the National Diploma in Aerospace Engineering, the Diploma Course for Pharmacy Technicians and the National Diploma in Applied Science”, he said.
“In fact MCAST’s responsiveness, flexibility and close links with industry ensures that that the knowledge, skills and competencies within the curricula are both appropriate and relevant for a changing economy”.
Keeping industry’s needs in mind, in 2006 MCAST launched the Strategic Plan 2007 – 2009. Among others, the college has set itself a target of increasing resources and facilities to be able to accommodate a substantial increase in full-time and part-time students by the academic year 2008/9.
MCAST is preparing its own master plan for the physical growth of the college for the next 10 years. It is hoped that within the next few years, the main campus will grow in order to provide spaces and facilities to the ever-increasing number of students who wish to follow a vocational education and training course.
Minister Galea said the government had given tangible proof that it was committed to the growth of the vocational education sector with the investment of millions in MCAST and other institutions.
Dr Galea said that in all the government will have invested over Lm23 million in MCAST since its inception. MCAST has also benefited from Lm1,145,000 in European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) for 2004 – 2006. Projects include Child Care facilities; motor vehicle training equipment; furniture, equipment and software for the Library and Resource Centre, and works and equipment for the Institute of Community Services and for the Welding and Electrical Workshop in Xewkija, Gozo. MCAST will once again be gaining from the EU Structural Funds Programme 2007 – 2013.
Paul Attard, president of the MCAST board of governors, said the Maltese economy, like the rest of the world, could not stop the technological development that was occurring. The Maltese economy has always been based on its workers’ abilities. This characteristic of the Maltese workforce should remain even in the knowledge society and economy they were developing, however continuous education and training will be vital.