Mcast inaugurates new gym

A new gym was recently inaugurated at the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology’s main campus in Paola by Education Minister Dolores Cristina.

The gym, which is equipped with over €80,000 worth of professional physical training equipment, will enable Mcast students enrolled in full-time sports courses to acquire hands-on experience in different aspects related to a career in sports and physical training.

During the inauguration, Ms Cristina said the drafting of a new national policy on sports is well under way, and that new scholarships had been launched for students wishing to specialise in sports studies. She added that in October a new sports school would be opened.

Outgoing Mcast principal and CEO Maurice Grech explained that the new gym facilities would eventually form part of a larger sports complex that is being planned in the new Mcast Campus, which is currently under construction in the same area.

Over 115 Mcast students have completed courses specialising in sports and fitness over the past four years. Mcast’s Institute of Community Services offers two courses for students aspiring for careers in this sector – the Mcast-Btec diploma in Sport (Level 3) and the Mcast-Btec extended diploma in Sport Development, Coaching and Fitness (Level 4).

Through these courses, students can prepare for careers as gym instructors, coaches and assistants to Physical Education teachers.

Mcast also offers several part-time courses related to sport, including evening classes in sports psychology, which are scheduled to begin in September.