The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology recently made history when it organised the first graduation ceremony for MCAST students who were awarded the vocational degree.

The degree award ceremony, which was held in the Grandmaster’s Suite at the Hilton, befitted the occasion. Celebrating their accomplishment and the successful completion of their honours programmes, a total of sixty-three students from the MCAST institutes of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Art and Design, Information and Communication Technology and Business and Commerce, proudly sported their graduation regalia, the symbols of academic achievement, in the established institute colours. Mr Joseph Farrugia, newly appointed President of the MCAST Board of Governors presided over the ceremony, while Professor Maurice Grech, MCAST Principal and CEO conferred the degrees and congratulated the new graduates.

Stephen Zahra, from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, addressed the audience on behalf of the students. He highlighted the benefits of studying at MCAST as a result of the strong practical dimension of its courses and the industry-led programmes of study. He spoke of the advantages of a learner-centred progression, one which rejects the creation of artificial barriers for learning.

Professor Grech, the mastermind behind the introduction of vocational degrees at MCAST, stressed that the student is at the heart of all College initiatives. He said that, in line with its mission statement, the College was obliged to ensure the existence of programmes of study which are accessible to all, and to establish the structures it deems necessary for a quality education and training, and a truly robust practical experience.

The Education Act states that MCAST shall “provide all with the opportunity to qualify in trades, skills, artisan or technical or commercial activities, and in the professions according to the socio-economic needs of the country in a lifelong learning curriculum framework and holistic personal development.” Both academic and vocational education form an integral part of an educational process for the holistic development of a person. The Education Act itself states that “they should enjoy parity of esteem”.

The Act empowers MCAST “to award such degrees, diplomas, certificates or other distinctions which it may deem suitable to such candidates who satisfy the prescribed conditions after following the required study courses.” “This is what MCAST is doing today,” Professor Grech said. “Up to a year ago, students who successfully completed their Higher National Diploma, had been constrained to seek refuge elsewhere by joining the final year in a foreign university, if they wished to continue studying for a degree. Many students were not in a position to fork out thousands of euro to achieve this.”

“The College has not only managed to fill this gap. We managed to attract a remarkable team of professors from various universities in Germany and elsewhere to design and deliver the new vocational degree courses under the quality assurance guarantees of none other than Fraunhofer, the largest organization for applied research in the whole of Europe. Our quality management practices in turn reflect the indicators established in the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training.”

“Fraunhofer has more than 80 research units and over 60 institutes spread over 40 different locations in Germany. Fraunhofer staff reaches a staggering 15,000 between qualified scientists and engineers. For the degree courses delivered at the MCAST Institute of Art and Design, Fraunhofer also provided us with a list of eminent professors from the renowned University of the Arts in Berlin.”

In his address, Mr Joseph Farrugia emphasised the phenomenon of rapid technological change and the need for training on key competences and flexibility among the labour force. MCAST is responding to these needs by offering courses ranging from level 1 to level 6. It is offering young people the opportunity to further their education irrespective of qualifications obtained at secondary level.

Through its evening courses, MCAST is also offering many adults a chance to re-train themselves by learning new skills and thus making themselves more employable through the process of lifelong education. MCAST is a dynamic institution that is continuously in tune with the needs of industry to generate quality courses that provide the necessary skills for the country to realise its economic potential. In the coming years this will become even more evident as a result of the new campus which will offer state of the art facilities to an ever increasing number of students.

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