Investment, Industry and Information Technology Minister Austin Gatt yesterday inaugurated the ‘Workforce Development Programme’ in partnership with worldwide brand Oracle.

The programme will prepare MCAST students for testing certified by Oracle. To deliver these programmes MCAST is being provided with free Oracle software and support, free training for MCAST trainers and heavy discounts on Oracle certification exams.

Dr Gatt encouraged MCAST students to take up this offer, for which they would have to pay considerably if they were to fund it privately. It will prepare them for a more successful career in the ICT industry.

Dr Gatt pointed out that the government had already secured 2,600 jobs in the ICT industry at SmartCity alone. These jobs are contractually secured and are part of the 10,000 jobs record committed with the government and its agencies for the five period starting in 2008. Dr Gatt expressed surprise that the Opposition was undertaking to create 6,000 jobs in the new terms when, if it were to do nothing about it, SmartCity and the Freeport alone are already contractually committed to create even more jobs than that.

The minister also pointed out that MCAST already carries other programmes as a recognised ‘Oracle Academy’. The difference between the Academy and the WDP is that the latter focuses on the attainment of the certification, that is students will have the OCA certification in hand at the end of the programme, while the Academy prepared the students towards an Oracle certification and required the student to sit for further tuition hours apart from that offered by the Institute.

Referring to the comments made by the Labour Party leader on the employment of Maltese in SmartCity, when Dr Sant said that SmartCity should be for Maltese workers and not foreigners. Dr Gatt said the Labour leader seems to be not informed of what the government has actually achieved in the negotiations. Dr Gatt referred to Clause 12.2 of the actual agreement which stipulated that the ‘Company undertakes to use its best endeavours so that where possible and in accordance with prevailing legislation, Maltese citizens shall be employed at the Site.’

He said that today there are a total of 2,060 students who are on courses in ICT. In 2003 this number was 712. The number of students who started a course in IT this year was 1,127, compared to 392 in 2003.