Since it was established 10 years ago, MCAST has succeeded in creating thousands of career opportunities for Maltese students.

Dolores Cristina, Minister of Education, Employment and the Family, expressed her gratitude to all those individuals who have contributed to the success of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. She was addressing current and past members of the College’s Board of Governors, directors and other distinguished guests during a reception held recently at the College’s Main Campus, in Paola.

In one decade, the College experienced unprecedented growth, as the student population rose from 1,500 in 2001 to over 6,000 full-time students and 4,000 part-time students this year. Minister Cristina explained that MCAST is catering for a wide variety of students, from those with few or no qualifications who are given a second chance at developing their skills and personality, to others who have all the requisites to take up courses at the University of Malta or other post-secondary institutions but who make MCAST’s programmes their first choice for their career development.

“MCAST needs to continue offering opportunities to all, regardless of age and aspirations,” Minister Cristina said, “however, it must also strike a delicate balance. While it continues to provide more and more career opportunities accessible to all, the College has to maintain a superior level of quality education.” She hailed the dedication of the College’s lecturers and staff, adding that “we would not have achieved this development without their commitment.”

Mr. Joseph Farrugia, President of MCAST’s Board of Governors, explained that MCAST’s success is crucial for the development of our country’s economy. He cited as an example MCAST’s development of its Aircraft Maintenance Training Centre, which provided the required qualified workers to attract lucrative private investment and hundreds of new jobs in this sector. This relationship with different industrial sectors must be strenghtened even further so that MCAST continues to offer more courses that meet the current and future requirements of our economy.

“The way forward is to continue attracting professional and experienced lecturers to help students develop their abilities, to guarantee a consistent level of high quality in all our courses, to make sure that MCAST qualifications open up many opportunities for our students’ continued academic advancement locally and abroad, and to be capable of welcoming an increased number of students, year after year,” the President concluded.

The event was also addressed by Prof. Maurice Grech, MCAST Principal and CEO. He outlined the College’s plans for the next three years, centred around further improvement in the quality of programmes and services offered by the College. This target, he explained, will be achieved through three extensive projects, funded by the EU, and which are already being implemented. The first one includes the upgrading of all the College’s Level 1 to Level 3 courses, with increased training of staff to improve the students’ learning experience, upgraded teaching materials and new training resources. It will facilitate the shift towards innovative teaching methods to ensure that different learning needs are catered for. It will also help to raise retention rates within MCAST and increase the number of students who progress to higher education levels, thus boosting their employment prospects.

A concurrent project will focus on the upgrading and accreditation of all MCAST’s Level 4 to Level 6 courses, which will be redsigned following consultation with the respective industrial sectors. It will also lead to the introduction of several new courses. The College is also looking at the introduction of blended learning, which brings together traditional teaching methods with distance and online learning technologies. Several courses will be offered through this method in the next few years. This, together with the launching of new systems for the accreditation of prior and experiential learning, will open up new lifelong and adult learning opportunities for many Maltese individuals. Prof. Grech also mentioned the continued professional development of the College’s staff and the building of the new MCAST Campus, among its current and upcoming developments.

“As we celebrate this anniversary, it is no time to lower our guards. The challenges and the rewards ahead are nothing short of remarkable. Our target to sustain MCAST’s reputation as a centre of excellence in vocational education is demanding, but always within reach. With the successful completion of our upcoming projects, we are confident that this goal will be achieved.”

During the event Minister Cristina unveiled a commemorative sculpture symbolising the College’s growth and development throughout the last decade. This work of art was created by local sculptor Jennings Falzon, who joined MCAST’s foundation courses a few years ago, and obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) degree from the same College last year.

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