Following the government's decision to pay stipends to Maltese students following a degree at a university abroad, it has recently been announced that students who register on one of the new vocational degree courses at the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) starting in September will receive a stipend that is on par with what Maltese university students receive.

Maltese students will therefore have an even stronger incentive to follow studies at tertiary level, not only because courses are free, but also because they will receive a monthly stipend, a benefit that many foreign students in colleges or universities overseas are not entitled to.

Mcast's plans to introduce vocational degrees are at an advanced stage and the college is receiving substantial EU funding under the European Social Fund scheme for this long-term project.

A total of seven courses will be launched, as follows:

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering will offer a B.Sc Hons (Electronics) and B.Sc. Hons (Electronics and Control), while the Institute of Business and Commerce will offer a BA Hons (Business Enterprise).

The Institute of Information and Communication Technology will run a B.Sc. Hons (Computer Networks) and a B.Sc. Hons (Software Development).

A BA Hons (3D Design and Interiors) and a BA Hons (Graphic Design and Interactive Media) will be introduced at the Institute of Art and Design.

Mcast has been working in collaboration with Franhofer Gesellschaft of Germany to identify the group of experts who will be delivering the first batch of vocational degree programmes in Malta.

The renowned 58-institute research company has extensive industrial experience, academic patronage and university connections, and the selected professors are specialists in the relevant subject and lecture at reputable institutions in Germany and elsewhere. Contacts are already in place with the University of Berlin, the University of Stutt-gart, the University of Vienna, the University of Zagreb, among others.