Mcast awarded Care Malta employees with a Level 3 Award Certificate in Disability Studies and a Level 4 Certificate in Advanced Care. The awards ceremony was held at the academy’s training facilities in Qormi.
The objective of the award in Care for Persons with Special Needs is to provide learners with basic knowledge, skills and competences that would support them in identifying and sustaining the diverse necessities of people with special needs, to understand the characteristics of intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities while comprehend the trends and issues with disability and inclusion, to familiarise with the effective practices for promoting communication, social skill development and interaction while supporting service users and their families.
The award aims to ensure that senior care assistants learn the skills required to work effectively with the elderly and their families in a residential setting, to gain a thorough grasp of the responsibilities of care professionals to work in an ethical manner and to the highest standard, to ensure that senior care assistants strive to improve clients’ quality of life and to understand a variety of emotional and behavioural disorders and work effectively with clients who experience these disorders.
Both courses were delivered by the college for Vassallo Group. They ran for the first time last year and were subscribed initially by 30 applicants in each course. All of these were Care Malta employees. These courses are level-rated, carrying both the overall recognised MQF level, as well as the number of credits assigned to each of the courses.
Trainees therefore enrich their personal professional profiles when successfully completing such courses, not only improving their level of competence and service to clients in their subject of study, but also ensuring that the qualification is recognised and relevant to the industry.
The Level 4 Award in Advanced Care course will re-run this year, starting around mid-October.
“Today we witness yet again a true example of collaboration between Mcast and its partners. It gives me great pleasure to see learners being empowered with the necessary skills to excel in their daily work with our elderly,” Mcast’s principal and CEO Stephen Cachia said.
Mcast president Silvio De Bono said: “We are producing students who are trained to meet industry needs. Industry in Malta is advancing at a very fast pace, and at Mcast we pride ourselves in being part of this development whilst reacting to industry needs.”
Care Malta CEO Natalie Briffa Farrugia said that from its first contact with Mcast Care Malta found an open door and many pairs of ears ready to listen to what it required. “The curriculum offered was developed following communication with us. It was truly tailor-made to our needs,” she said.