Action plan to improve awareness of ICT careers

During the launch of the EMBED ICT educational fair last week, James Calleja, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family and Matthew Gatt, CEO of the Malta Information Technology Agency announced a series of activities which will be implemented jointly in collaboration with the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE), the Directorate for Educational Services (DES) and the industry.

Dr Calleja also announced the creation of a new post-graduate diploma available through the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta for teachers to specialise in ICT pedagogy under the ‘Get Qualified’ scheme. This means that teachers will be able to claim back up to 80 per cent of the cost of the course in tax-credit upon successful completion of the diploma. The creation of this tailor-made diploma is the result of an initiative by the DQSE and the close collaboration between the registrar’s office of the University, the Faculty of the Education, and the Directorate for Quality and Standards.

Details on the diploma available under the Get Qualified! scheme is available from the following link:

http://support.maltaenterprise.net/index_files/GQ_approved.htm

Mr Gatt said: “Through a consultation process led by the eSkills Alliance, MITA today is able to announce an action plan with a set of joint activities with the Ministry for Education which will improve the awareness and perceptions of students and career counselling staff on the career opportunities and the respective e-competences and qualifications requested by the industry”.

He added that the eSkills Alliance Malta, set-up last October, has successfully brought key stakeholders in the ICT industry, academic institutions and the government together to discuss and address the emerging ICT skills required from the industry and dictated by the exigencies of modern technology and economic development.

The action plan of activities, starting during the next scholastic year, will include the following projects a training programme for career advisors and guidance teachers on the ICT industry skill requirements and post-secondary ICT educational pathways; orientation and job shadowing sessions for students in the ICT industry; and exposure to the ICT industry workplace.

The EMBED exhibition, now in its third consecutive year, celebrates the embedding of ICT in school curriculum. The exhibition was held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta and hosted students from all ages and from all over Malta and Gozo.