Funding for business oriented ICT courses

ICT studies have been given a boost with a €250,000 investment by the Malta Information Technology Agency and the University of Malta (Mita).

Mita chair Matthew Gatt said that following the setting up of the eSkills Alliance last year, a programme to develop innovative curricula has kicked off to offer courses which teach the “business skills required for employability potential in today’s IT industry”.

The courses are being formulated by the Alliance, a partnership led by Mita which incorporates public sector actors, business representative bodies and the private sector. It has drawn up an action plan to fill the gaps between university tuition and industry.

A set of activities co-ordinated by the alliance, with the help of ICT employers and the faculty, is being held to strengthen the industry’s presence on campus.

As from October of next year, new study-units will be added to the degrees portfolio of the ICT Faculty, which will also offer new degrees or short courses.

Communications Minister Austin Gatt said this investment would enable the country’s future workforce to graduate with the skills-set needed by the industry. “This will mean that these new ICT graduates will hit the ground running faster and therefore their productive contribution to the business of their ICT employer will be stronger.”