MCAST Students’ House, consisting of a student council board room, offices, a large common room where students can meet in a relaxed atmosphere, the college canteen and other facilities for the provision of student services was inaugurated yesterday by Education Minister Louis Galea.
The Students’ House forms part of the West Wing Complex which also houses an administrative floor and has meant an investment of e1m.
At the inauguration, Dr Galea also spoke about the report on the new life-long learning career service.
He said the government is working hard to provide students with the best training and education possible to enable them to find the best opportunities in the world of work. At the same time, the government was attracting foreign investment and creating new opportunities for local investors to ensure that students have a wide range of employment prospects.
“We believe in life-long education. For this purpose we will be creating a new life-long career guidance service that helps both youths and adults alike to find the educational pathways they need or want to follow. This is the main thrust of the Career Guidance Report which was tabled in Parliament recently,” said Dr Galea.
Career guidance is defined as services and activities intended to assist individuals of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers.
An analysis of the present career guidance system reveals that many useful services are being offered within the Maltese educational system. However, several structural and procedural weaknesses are also apparent. The report proposes the setting up of a new structure for career with a college career guidance coordinator in every college of state schools integrated within the multi-disciplinary team to offer support services to schools.
At the school level, there should be career advisers who coordinate guidance provisions and organise career-oriented activities. The report recommends the setting up of a national career guidance centre responsible for sustaining career guidance services in Malta and which should be complementary to the educational system.
Dr Galea said the proposals in this report need to be considered in the context of the wider framework of the education reform and strategy. The proposals should be connected to a life-long learning policy that directs all education and training.
The MCAST Students’ House project is part of a capital investment programme aimed at improving the facilities available at MCAST which include the building of the Institute of Community Services building, the Aircraft Maintenance Centre; the Installation of a Photovoltaic System on the college gym; the refurbishment of the Motor Vehicle Workshop; a new workshop block at Xewkija and a childcare facility which will shortly be available to parents on the main campus.
Paul Attard, president of the board of governors at MCAST, said that students are at the very centre of all that is done at MCAST and so it was only fitting that students have a place of their own in the heart of the college.