Ten Mcast students following the Pathway to Independent Living Programme recently visited the General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd plant in Marsa to get first-hand experience of a company renowned for bottling some of the world’s largest brands, like Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite.

The students finished a two-year course at the college, which targets students over 16 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.

Students attending the Pathway to Independent Living course acquire vocational skills along with other life skills which lead them to employment and independence.

The three vocational areas, taught in a workshop environment at the college, are hospitality, office and production and retail. However, the course also includes job visits and placements in the respective industries so that the students get acquainted with the working environment.

During their visit, students could see operations in the back offices, the procedure on the production line, the packaging system and the highly functional warehouse and distribution centre from the facility’s state-of-the-art visitors’ centre, which is open to the public on request.