Through a collaboration agreement with Continental Cars Ltd, the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) will soon be launching the first Audi Training Centre in Malta.
MCAST will be providing training courses to Continental Cars Ltd’s employees working at the Audi workshops in Ta’ Xbiex. The College’s lecturers will be receiving specialised training at the Audi AG Headquarters, in Germany, before they start conducting on-the-spot training to Audi’s technical and nontechnical employees in Malta later this year.
This new agreement builds on a long-standing relationship between MCAST and Continental Cars Ltd, the sole distributors of Audi and several other renowned car marques in Malta. The company offers numerous apprenticeship opportunities to MCAST students and, in recent years, has also employed several MCAST graduates.
During the signing ceremony, Maurice Mizzi, managing director of Continental Cars Ltd, said that the Maltese Government has dedicated substantial resources to help MCAST and other educational institutions provide highly-trained professionals for the local industry. Continental Cars Ltd supports this investment as it believes that quality education is crucial to the success of our economy.
“We have always endeavoured to reach Audi’s tough standards so that our clients in Malta would receive the same standard of service which is expected worldwide. We have now undertaken this revolutionary step in order to continue to meet Audi AG’s quality of training standards,” Mr Mizzi added. He expressed his appreciation at MCAST and Audi AG, for their support in this project.
Prof. Maurice Grech, MCAST Principal and CEO, thanked Continental Cars Ltd for choosing MCAST’s services for the training of its staff. He highlighted the importance of the College’s close ties with local employers, which lead to several fruitful collaborations. These include the donation of advanced tools and equipment to be used by the students, the provision of apprenticeship and other training opportunities in real work settings as well as ongoing consultations on MCAST’s syllabi to ensure that they are constantly updated to reflect the latest skills and innovations adopted by the industry. MCAST also provides employers and industrial organisations with customised lifelong learning opportunities to facilitate the up-skilling of Malta’s labour force.
“As MCAST and local industries work hand-in-hand to improve the quality of our country’s human resources, we can make sure that our students are acquiring the relevant skills, flexibility and experience to secure good jobs, while local industries are provided with highly-trained, creative professionals who can generate growth and help develop new investment opportunities. It is a win-win situation for our students, for employers, as well as for our economy,” Prof. Grech concluded.
Joseph Farrugia, MCAST President, Hugh Mercieca, Continental Cars Ltd’s Chief Operating Officer, Directors of the MCAST Institutes, and the MCAST lecturers and Continental Cars Ltd employees who will be participating in the training, also attended the signing ceremony.
The College’s commercial arm, MCAST Gateway to Industry Ltd, which will be managing the training programmes, offers several other services to local companies. Besides customised training, this company also offers research and development services as well as specialised equipment, laboratories and workshops for industrial research and other projects. It also provides training to over 4,000 individuals every year, through the delivery of 300 part-time evening courses.