The record number of applications – 3,000 – received by the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology confirmed that young people have great confidence in the institution, the Nationalist Party’s Youth Movement (MZPN) said yesterday in a statement.

MCAST is offering a wide variety of courses, ranging from commerce and ICT to aircraft maintenance. There are also courses for students who had not obtained the necessary requirements at the end of their secondary education, said MZPN. These were so-called “foundation courses” that would lead to the attainment of a diploma.

The MCAST success was a reflection of the government’s investment in the institution, with Lm50 million earmarked to be spent to be able to double the number of students to 10,000.