1,200 go for ICT courses

Almost 1,200 young people have chosen to take up Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as their subject of studies at MCAST, The Sunday Times has learnt from a reliable source in the IT training industry.

"Students chose to take ICT-related courses as they're enticed by the prospects of good quality jobs in the IT sector, the advent of SmartCity Malta, and the reputation that MCAST enjoys," commented the same source.

Over 700 students applied for an ICT course at MCAST. Another 500 students opted to pursue their studies further and chose to follow an advanced course following the successful completion of their first course at the college's ICT institute.

MCAST runs four different levels of courses. The courses allow for progression from one course to another, but also allow students to commence at the appropriate level. The ICT course at MCAST, provide a holistic approach to the subject with a good balance between the theoretical and the practical aspects of the curriculum. These courses include the Foundation Certification, the BTEC First Diploma for IT Practitioners, BTEC National Diploma in Computing, and the BTEC Higher National Diploma in Computing (Software Development).

MCAST, together with the University of Malta, currently a supply circa 500 ICT graduates per year, with both institutions working their way to be able to produce 1,000 graduates in ICT per year.

Last month, Education Minister Louis Galea and Investments and IT Minister Austin Gatt had announced a series of measures facilitating the admission to the MCAST's ICT course. These measures, with an investment of Lm1 million (€2.33 million) were aimed to provide assistance to MCAST to be able to attract the ever increasing number of students who are seeking a career in ICT.