The IT strategy for 2004 aimed at an annual training of 500 students – this year a total of 1,400 students applied for IT courses at the University of Malta and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, said IT minister Austin Gatt.
The minister yesterday visited the Swatar Training College (STC) in Pembroke which, according to its director, Patrick Pullicino, has greatly benefited from the myPotential scheme as more people are encouraged to take up IT with the possibility of earning money to repay their tuition fees.
The minister said that locally the teaching of IT has picked up a lot, to an extent that one can realistically envisage that the 3,600 IT-related jobs at SmartCity Malta will be filled by the students who are currently undergoing training.
He also referred to the recent unveiling of the project in Dubai and told STC students that SmartCity was not only about infrastructure but essentially a concept of excellence.
Dr Gatt said this year’s 1,400 applicants pertained only to university and MCAST, and was not taking into account those who applied to the 60 courses offered by myPotential, that range from rudimentary courses to Masters degrees. During its first year, said the minister, myPotential has attracted 670 students.
The minister also spoke about the First Step –
L-Ewwel Pass initiative which provides training in IT as well as basic mathematics, English and behaviour at work. This scheme, said the minister, was aimed at helping the more vulnerable sector of society, housewives who want to go back to work, manufacturing sector workers who want to retrain and those who lack basic knowledge of IT.
The initiative seems to be quite popular as, Dr Gatt said, some 690 people applied for courses. He said the first half will start training shortly, while the other half will start their course at the beginning of next year.
Mr Pullicino said that at STC students are taught IT in an atmosphere which is very close to an actual working environment as they become motivated through work pressure. Dr Gatt for his part praised the students for allocating some of their summer holidays to learning IT.