The first block of the new €120m Mcast campus in Corradino was inaugurated today by the prime minister.

It consists of lecture rooms and other facilities of the Institute of Applied Sciences, which have just started being used by students.

Work on the new campus started in 2011. The first phase of the campus will consist of another two blocks housing Students House and the new Institute for business. The project will eventually have 17 blocks bringing all Mcast institutes in one campus.

There will also be a 630-car car-park.

The project is being partly funded by the EU

Dr Gonzi noted how the Mcast student population was consistently on the increase and said the college had broadened the job prospects of hundreds of young people. It had also contributed to a significant increase in the number of people who continued to study beyond secondary school.

“Our educational system is giving us what we need,” he said. The 11,000 who graduated from Mcast all found a job. There are no students protesting in the streets – like in other European countries,” he said.

MCAST has a total of 6,000 full time students and 4,000 part-timers spread in centres institutes all over Malta.