The government has long been insisting that Malta must continue to invest in its human resources, focusing on certain sectors that have developed and expanded over the past few years to quickly become important pillars of the local economy, including, for example, financial services and information communication technology.

In his closing speech during the Nationalist Party’s general council meeting last Sunday week, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi gave proof of the government’s line of thinking when he announced that there are plans to invest Lm50 million in a new complex in Paola to accommodate all the institutions forming the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology.

On Thursday, Education Minister Louis Galea gave more details in this regard, specifying that by 2015 the MCAST complex will incorporate 10 institutions that provide training in various areas ranging from ICT to engineering, from tourism to maritime services.

MCAST and the university, Minister Galea explained, will work hand in hand and be like twin towers, metaphorically connected to be complementary to each other.

MCAST was re-opened a few years ago to give the opportunity to hundreds of young people to learn certain skills that would open the way for them to find jobs in a number of sectors. Little by little, it has grown to accommodate 5,000 students.

This may seem to be a huge number, but in reality Malta needs many resources to be able to meet with a demand that has grown and is expected to grow even further. As the country continues to attract more and more investment in the sectors that are covered by MCAST, more and more people need to be trained to be able to fill the many job opportunities that will be created.

Just by mentioning the SmartCity project, which will lead to at least 3,000 jobs in the ICT sector over the next few years, is enough to give an idea of how many people are required. Apart from this, more and more resources are also needed in the other areas that MCAST caters for.

And it is with this in mind that the government is to build a new complex to house the MCAST institutions, and at the same time double the number of places available. In fact, with the new investment, the government plans to increase the number of students at the college from 5,000 to 10,000.

Now that the announcement has been made, the government should do its utmost to see that the idea is transformed from what it is now – a simple electoral pledge – to reality, as quickly as possible. Let us also hope that the eight-year timeframe given for the completion of the complex is just a conservative estimate, and that the new college is opened before 2015 (and that we do not have a repeat of the Mater Dei Hospital saga).

Malta really needs to get the job done as quickly as possible. We know that the number of job openings in the areas covered by MCAST is to increase rapidly, if all goes according to plan, and therefore Malta must be prepared to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

The young people of today – and those who are in their early years of schooling – know that a bright future awaits them in the sectors that are growing daily in Malta and they should be encouraged to go for such openings, by their parents and in particular by their teachers. Schools should be made to realise what Malta will need in the future, and should therefore push their students towards the areas that need to be covered.

The government should also think of having enough people to train the 10,000 students who will be attending MCAST, once the expansion plans are completed. It would be a real pity if administration difficulties crop up, once the building work is

finished.