The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology is offering 'vocational degree' courses and planning a new campus for 10,000 full-time students. Joseph Grech asks principal Maurice Grech whether the college is turning into a second university.
Prof. Maurice Grech is proud of his 25 years' service to the University of Malta both as a lecturer as well as in various positions at the University's Faculty of Engineering, including that of dean. "The University has given and continues to give a very important contribution to the country's educational and economic needs," he says.
"But ever since its inception, it was planned that the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) would eventually offer students an alternative route to university-level education through vocational degrees, and the Mcast Education Act specifically gives the college the authority to award degrees. But this does not imply becoming a second university," he points out.
Prof. Grech is confident that Mcast's vocational degrees will compliment the University's. "Vocational degree programmes, as opposed to traditional degrees, are based mainly on manual or practical activities, are totally related to a specific trade or profession, and give vocational students a deeper understanding of a subject without lumbering them with excessive theoretical material which is more appropriate for research, design and development work. In general, an Mcast graduate (will be) more hands-on and equipped for various positions including middle managment," he said.
"For example," Prof. Grech continues, "a mechanical engineer from a university may be engaged to assess why a weld failed. His theoretical background may enable him to establish what has led to the failure and recommend how to avoid similar failures in future. This irrespective of the fact that he may or may not be able to weld.
"Mcast diploma graduates would have far more practical exposure to welding processes. The top-up (vocational) degree will give these Mcast students more practical experience and sufficient theoretical background to enable them to be competent welding engineers, and ideally qualified to lead a team of welders on construction sites, shipbuilding and maintenance and repair workshops."
Prof. Grech says that despite the urgent and high demand for graduates with a degree designed around the needs of industry, our educational system has not been supplying them. "Mcast identified this gap in the market and its vocational degree programmes will fill this lacuna."
Mcast's vocational degree programmes will have the same parity of esteem as other university degrees within the European Qualification Framework. They will be awarded jointly with foreign universities or education institutions of repute and be subject to quality assurance procedures.
Prof. Grech says Mcast and the University already co-operate in many ways. For several years, University engineering students have been gaining practical experience in Mcast workshops during summer. Mcast and the University share information regarding their equipment and facilities, and sometimes change plans to buy equipment based on the rationale that it is better to have one well-equipped workshop on the island rather than two second-rate workshops.
For example, Mcast withdrew its proposal to set up a state-of-the-art rapid prototyping workshop and instead supported the University's bid for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds for such a workshop. Also, Mcast will shortly be setting up fully-fledged multimedia workshops and discussions are currently underway with the University to enable it to build on Mcast facilities rather than purchase similar equipment.
Prof. Grech also hints that University lecturers may also have a role to play in the delivery of some study units (of the vocational degree programmes). "Such collaboration is healthy and will, in the future, be extended to courses, personnel and research programmes and funded projects," he confirmed.
Prof. Grech says that Mcast is providing à la carte education, re-skilling and up-skilling workers and training for economic activities that can still be viable in Malta. Two areas in which Mcast sees a bright future are the aviation maintenance industry and the marine sector, particularly the super yacht industry.
When Lufthansa Technik announced it was expanding operations in Malta, Mcast immediately equipped itself with the staff and facilities needed to support it with tailored training programmes.
"The college now offers an internationally recognised European Aviation Safety Certificate at Category A compliant with the standards set by Lufthansa Technik. Moreover, Mcast plans to be certified to deliver training at the higher Category B level by next October. Mcast will take this even further, possibly with the University of Malta as partner," he said.
Prof. Grech says this has placed Malta on the international map regarding aviation maintenance training, which is a lucrative field of engineering. A new course in marine engineering is also expected to be launched next September. "Having a local college supplying the market with trained personnel in a highly regulated engineering field is likely to attract further foreign direct investment to the country, thus creating more and better jobs for Malta," he says.
This year, Mcast received almost 3,000 new applicants, mostly for courses offered by the ICT, Community Services and Business and Commerce institutes. To provide Smart City with the skilled personnel it will need for a range of jobs and careers, particularly in IT, it further increased its student intake by involving private ICT training providers, which act as Mcast satellites. "Today, Mcast has over 1,500 ICT students studying at various levels, and within three years the ICT student population is expected to increase to 2,000," Prof. Grech predicted.
Prof. Grech says the new Mcast campus will be built on a 110,000-square metre footprint spanning from the Grand Harbour waterfront to the north, to St Anthony's Church, and, on the south side, connected to Gaddafi Gardens via a bridge over Corradino Road. It is being designed to cater for 10,000 full-time students and will include public amenity spaces and a 1,150-car park. It will incorporate Mcast institutes currently located in Naxxar, Kalkara, Tarġa Gap, and Luqa.
A traffic impact study has been submitted and an environmental impact assessment will soon be complete. In the coming months, a call for excavation works will be issued. Development work will have to be carried out without hindering day-to-day operations on the current campus.
Institute New intake
ICT - 693
Community services - 665
Business and commerce - 592
Mechanical engineering - 326
Electrical and electronics engineering - 197
Art and design - 169
Building and construction - 155
Gozo centre - 114
Agribusiness - 40
Maritime - 30
Total - 2,981