MCAST and the Water Services Corporation (WSC) are collaborating to set up a Water Research Training Centre and to launch a new Diploma in Water Technology and Operations.
The Water Research and Training Centre will focus on water enterprise and will aim to embody the application of creative ideas and innovations to practical situations in the water field. It will focus on three main research themes namely Water Quality Research, Water Systems Control and Water Efficiency and Innovation. Students will be taught skills through an enterprise education that aims to produce graduates with the mindset and skills to come up with original ideas in response to identified needs and shortfalls applied to the local water sector. The Centre will provide the much needed skilled, licensed personnel required for our country to face the present challenges regarding water conservation, water re-use and integrated water resource management.
MCAST is also collaborating with the WSC’s Institute of Water Technology (IWT) that boasts advanced water laboratories and technological expertise in areas such as GIS, AMM, water loss control, desalination and much more. Another key stakeholder is the Ministry for Energy and Health together with its regulator, the Malta Resources Authority. Other important stakeholders include the HSBC with its ‘Every Drop Counts’ campaign, the International Water Association (IWA), and the Malta Water Association (MWA).
MCAST and the Water Services Corporation are also collaborating to set up a new Level 4 Diploma in Water Technology and Operations. Students successfully completing this three-year part-time diploma may then progress to the MCAST BSc in Environment Engineering. The diploma consists of a full 120 credits, covering 18 topics ranging from the economics of water, to plumbing techniques, to water legislation, to water conservation and management. Students may opt to follow all 18 topics over the three years in order to get full certification, or just particular topics in order to acquire specific expertise. The diploma will start to run from September 2014, and will be advertised in the MCAST’s part-time prospectus.