The setting up the Malta College
of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) which will welcome its first
intake of students this October is a good step forward.
The opening of MCAST is an important
step in the country’s reform of its education system which
gives a huge boost to vocational and technical
education.
This new college will provide a number of new opportunities not only to
those students who prefer not to pursue a strictly academic
post-secondary education, but also to those adults who now have a second
chance to attend a number of courses which they previously did not have
the opportunity to do. The college will also help job seekers be
adequately qualified to find work in today’s ever-changing and more
demanding labour market.
The college consists of 10 institutes which each cover a different field
of study. Six of these institutes, namely those of information
technology, electronics engineering, art and design, maritime studies,
business and commerce and building and construction engineering, will
welcome their first batch of students this October, while it is hoped
that the other four institutes will open shortly after.
The subjects taught will certainly help upgrade the country’s level of
education and allow Malta to compete better in an ever-increasing
globalised economy. The private sector in Malta should certainly be
pleased with this new set-up because hopefully it will mean better
qualified personnel in the market.
Perhaps one of the most positive aspects of MCAST’s set-up is that the
overwhelming majority of the college’s governors, including its
president, come from the private sector and the business community.
This is most encouraging and augurs well for the college’s future
success. One hopes this fact will ensure that the college is run with
the least possible bureaucracy and in an efficient manner.
Its goal is simple: to provide the country’s youth and workforce with
a quality education and to create as many opportunities as possible for
all our citizens. For this to become a reality the college’s
administrators must be allowed to manage MCAST with almost complete
autonomy. There must be as little political interference as possible –
the government only needs to set the overall framework on how the
college is to operate.
The involvement of the private sector in MCAST will hopefully act as a
catalyst for other public-private partnerships in the country which will
benefit all our citizens. We augur that this new college will become a
centre of excellence equipping all students with both education and
skills for the present and the future.
