Microsoft's Central and Eastern European vice-president Vahe Torossian has praised Malta for contributing to the CEE's tremendous growth and optimism, making it the fastest growing region in the world for Microsoft.
Mr Torossian was in Malta on Tuesday to address top executives from local private and government entities at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Hotel in St Julian's.
Introducing Mr Torossian, Pierre Mallia, country manager at Micro-soft Malta, said: "At Microsoft, we foster research and innovation and through our partnerships with the government, the University of Malta, and private companies, we are aiming to drive economic growth and employment."
Mr Torossian outlined how Microsoft is helping to advance the ICT programme in Malta with public and private sectors.
"Through our close partnership with the government and working hand in hand with small and medium businesses, we see the opportunity to fuel the creation of new services and products for the benefit of growth in Malta," he explained.
Microsoft Malta has undertaken several ongoing investments in support of drivers of economic opportunity and social inclusion, such as in the fields of innovation, education and job creation. Its partnerships aim to address the basic IT skills challenge and the shortage of professionals.
"Innovative and demanding businesses look for future employees to be as 'business ready' as possible when they leave school," remarked Mr Torossian. "As an industry leader, we have a role to play to help create an innovative business environment. We have developed a variety of programmes to provide tools and technologies to innovators, with one goal in mind: broaden their access to technology and build the local skills capacity to better empower our local partner ecosystem."
Microsoft education programmes, such as the Microsoft IT Academy at the University of Malta, which is currently in the offing, focus both on the supply and demand sides of the skills and jobs generation. By encouraging more investment in life-long learning, and in tools to overcome the shortage of IT professionals in Malta, Microsoft Malta helps increase local growth and reduces unemployment.
One encouraging example of this is the recently launched Smart Women programme, designed to help women join the ICT industry. This training course builds the participant's skills from basic IT to developer, administrator or business worker level.
On Friday, the 9th Community Technology Learning Centre (CTLC) at Kalkara council, sponsored by Microsoft and HP, was officially opened by Communications Minister Austin Gatt. The new centre will provide free ICT learning and tools for the community; the ministry, HP and Microsoft Malta are working together to overcome the digital divide.
HP, through two of their authorised partners in Malta, Systec Limited and Fortune Technologies Limited, has contributed towards the provision of HP computers and printers.
Eleni Papaspiridakos, marketing manager for CDG at HP said: "We are approaching the 10th and final successful centre opening in Malta. We are confident that the services offered in these centres are a true benefit for the current and future success of entrepreneurs in Malta."
HP has also introduced its MAP (Micro-enterprise Acceleration Programme), a special training course for entrepreneurs of small businesses. HP aims to help the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs in Malta so that they can use IT to increase the size of their businesses. The HP MAP is being executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Communications at selected CTLCs.
The other eight centres which are run by NGOs are located at Access Centre, Vittoriosa, the National Council of Women's offices in Blata l-Bajda, the Eden Foundation Complex at Bulebel, Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin in Floriana, the Richmond Foundation, in St Venera, the Physically Handicapped Rehabilitation Fund (PHRF) in Kordin, Birkirkara Council and the recently opened centre at ETC in Valletta. The tenth centre is earmarked for Gozo.