The Minister for Education and Employment, Dolores Cristina, presented MCAST scholarships to 59 students currently studying to obtain degrees or diplomas related to financial services or digital media.

The scholarships, adding up to a value of €803,726, were awarded as part of the Training Subsidy Scheme MCAST (TSSM), funded through two European Social Fund (ESF) programmes coordinated by the College, ESF 1.33 Increasing ICT Student Capacity in Malta and ESF 1.130 Making VET Education More Relevant and Attractive.

The presentation ceremony was held at the MCAST Main Campus, in Paola. The Minister was accompanied by the Minister’s Parliamentary Assistant Stephen Spiteri, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr James Calleja, MCAST President Joseph Farrugia, MCAST Principal and CEO Stephen Cachia, MCAST Deputy Principal Anthony Saliba and other members of the College administration.

Individuals seeking higher education diploma or degree level studies to pursue careers in digital media or financial services were invited to apply for these scholarships. 51 awardees are following studies in computing and information systems technologies and management, networking and internet applications. Another eight students were awarded scholarships in accounting, finance, banking, economics and management.

MCAST launched the TSSM to provide qualified individuals capable of meeting the employment needs of two growth sectors of the Maltese economy – digital media and financial services. These scholarship schemes are assisting students in full-time programmes offered by local or international private institutions, thus providing learners in Malta and Gozo with access to a wider choice of educational opportunities related to these two sectors.

‘Increasing ICT Student Capacity in Malta’ aims to meet the current and future employment demands of the Maltese ICT industry, by providing the necessary resources for MCAST to increase its student capacity in ICT vocational educational programmes. ‘Making VET Education More Relevant and Attractive,’ the project financing the financial services scholarships, was launched to help MCAST improve the quality of, and increase, its vocational training opportunities to encourage more individuals to remain in education and obtain post-secondary qualifications.

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