The relevance of University courses to the working world was queried by commerce and law students at yesterday’s graduation ceremonies.

In her address, management graduate Lorelle Camilleri said that despite the educational system being among the best in the EU, the practical element was, up to a point, missing. “I believe lectures alone do not prepare students enough for the workplace and the internship system should be explored more,” she said.

Ms Camilleri also called for more importance to be given to student organisations in University life. Thanks to such organisations, she said, she had acquired skills she could have never learnt within the four walls of the traditional classroom.

Reflecting on the law course, Bachelor of Laws graduate Marsette Xerri was more guarded in her criticism of her studies.

“These three or four years did not necessarily give us the adequate formation for the workplace but trained us to become ideal students,” she said, adding she hesitated to call the previous three years “legal formation”.

There were very valid reasons why they were taught what they were taught, among which was how to conduct legal research. “We’re being trained how to identify the salient details and understand their relevance in factual situations. These are critical skills we need to possess but they’re not the only ones,” Ms Xerri said.

These comments might jar slightly with the academic oration printed, but not read out, on all the graduation programmes happening in the coming days. In it, Christian Scerri had called for the University to be distinguished from an employee producing institution.

In an apparent bid to provide full employment within the present economic situation, he wrote, society might feel the need to call for career preparation as the main function of undergraduate education. “In my opinion, this would be a short-sighted move as the University should be the cradle that produces intelligent and educated persons and where students acquire the necessary analytical and entrepreneurial skills that can be utilised in a wide area of employment,” Prof. Scerri wrote.

In her address, Ms Xerri paid tribute to the late President Emeritus Guido de Marco, a professor at the faculty, who she said was a “paradigm of a defence lawyer and a politician with calibre”.

“I hope that, like Prof. de Marco, after the certificates have been handed out, the trenchers tossed in the air, and photos taken, all of us would be convinced these past years did not just make us ideal students but legal minds that will be quoted in the coming generations.”

The graduates are:

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Economics

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Mark Camilleri, Rachel Aquilina, Antoine Bonello, Pierre Bonnici, Ian Borg, Mark Caruana, Isabel Cassar, Maria Cini, Maria Farrugia, Maria La Ferla, Charlene Rapa, Noel Rapa, Sam Sacco, Daphne Ann Vassallo and Matthew Xuereb.

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Banking and Finance

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Ryan Attard, Ann Baldacchino, David Baldacchino, Svetlana Balzan, Debbie Bezzina, Jennifer Bonavia, Abigail Borg, Josef Borg, Kristina Borg, Matthew Borg, Christian Buhagiar, Annalise Calleja, Krystle Camilleri, Daniela Caruana, Antoine Cassar, Fiona Catania, Rosalie Cauchi, Donatella Chircop, Peter Paul Cilia, Elaine Cutajar, Maureen Debattista, Jessica Dimech, Daryl Farrugia, Karen Farrugia, Mark Farrugia, Matthew Farrugia, Nicolette Farrugia, Sarah Ann Formosa, Christabelle Galea, Simon Galea, Kevin Grech, Therese Grech, Jesmar Halliday, Alicia Mallia, Ian Meli, Edward Micallef, Nadia Miceli, Natasha Mifsud, Mark Muscat, Roderick Muscat, Estelle Pace, Christopher Pisani, Karl Pizzuto, Geraldine Portelli, Maria Saliba, David Sansone, Sephora Scerri, Clifton Schembri, Tiziana Silvio, Michael Vella, Jason Xuereb and Nathane Zammit.

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Management

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Christian Joseph Agius, Kylie Agius, Edel Maryrose Attard, John Attard Montalto, Rebecca Bartolo, Leslie David Borg, Alexandra Cachia, Rosemarie Calleja, Diandra Calleja Micallef, Clint Camenzuli, Lorelle Camilleri, Rebecca Camilleri, Simon Camilleri, Yanika Maria Cassar, Aaron Chetcuti, Emmanuel D’Amato, Matthew De Gabriele, Andrea Debattista, Matthew Ray Debono, Sarah Anne Debono, Claire Duff, Kailey Ebejer, Claire Farrugia, Francene Farrugia, Nicholas J. Farrugia, Tyson Fenech, Sarah Ferrante, David Formosa, Joanna Galea, Daniel Gatt, Etienne Gatt, Jamie Gatt, Leroy Grech, Mark Grech, Nicole Jann, Sarah Pace, Natassja Saliba, Kurt Scerri, Amanda Marie Sultana, Euchar Sultana, Stephen Tabone, Susan Vella, Catherine Zahra and Bever-Lee Ann Zammit.

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Public Policy

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Josephine Camilleri, Miguel Debono, Maxine Ellul, Marlizio Lia, Maria Muscat, Louisa Pace Kiomall and Philip Sammut.

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social Policy

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Silvio Azzopardi, Rebecca Borg, Denise Caruana, Mark Cassar, Therese Cini Sarreo, Elena Dalli, Marisa Farrugia, Claire Gafa’, Maria Maxine Gambin, Sean Lee Lanzon, Sean Meli, Bernard Micallef, Stefania Piscopo, Clinton Sammut, Janette Schembri, Ivan Edward Scicluna, Ruth Tanti and Jean Paul Zammit.

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social Policy

Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci

Clara Attard, Ann Marie Bonnici, Loraine Borg, Massimo Borg, Stephanie Bugeja, Robert Busuttil, Stephanie Caruana, Lorna Cassar, Reuben Cutajar, Abigail Darmanin, Mark Debono, Sarah Debono, Anton Falzon, Andrew Fiorini Lowell, Sarah G. Gauci, Aimee Grech, Whitney Mallia, Frida Mangion, Donia Marie Micallef, Lorraine Mifsud, Roberta Mifsud, Mark Pellicano, Yvonne Pisani, Stephanie Said, Erika Sammut, Tracey Schembri, Claire Slattery, Victoria Spagnol, Graziella Spiteri, Enikö Vass, Theresa Vella, Sera Zammit and Deborah Zarb.

Diploma of Legal Procurator

Daniel Aquilina.

Diploma of Notary Public

Stephanie Abdilla, Anna Abela, Yanika Abela, Marie Elise Agius, Ralph Agius Fernandez, Cheryl Ann Aquilina, Roderick Aquilina, Daniel Attard, Daniela Bartolo, Maria Bonello, Maria Anthea Bonnici, Ian Borg, Stephanie Borg, Yvette Borg, Ann Bugeja, Sarah Bugeja, Nicolette Busuttil, Helga Buttigieg Debono, Diana Cachia, Franklin Cachia, Eliza Calleja, Leontine Calleja, Michael James Calleja, Alessandra Camilleri, Byron Camilleri, Emma Camilleri, Maxine Camilleri, Petra Camilleri, Rodianne Caruana, Mark Caruana Scicluna, Janette Cassar, Roberta Cassar, Jennifer Cosaitis, Michael Cuschieri, Randolph De Battista, Oliver Nicholas De Gaetano, Kristina Debattista, Alistair Facciol, Ariana Falzon, David Farrugia, Johan Farrugia, Lorella Farrugia, Lauro Fava, Alexia Ann Galea, Matthew Edward Galea Debono, Carmel Gatt, Joseph Gatt, Carl Grech, Matthew Joseph Grech, Joel Grima, Peter Grima, Dean Hili, Nicola Lapira, Alexia Magro, Maria Roberta Mamo, Stefania Marmorato, Christian Meilak, Andrea Micallef, Denise Victoria Micallef, Sabrina Micallef, Francesca Mifsud, Marilyn Mifsud, Alan Muscat, Christina Muscat, Anthea Pace, Karen Pace, Petra Pace, Vincienne Pace, Mariella Rapa, Alexander Matthew Saliba, Annaliese Saliba, Leanne Sammut, Yana Sammut, Lynne Satariano, Deandra Scerri, Sarah Scerri, Claudia Schembri, Ilona Schembri, Katia Schembri, Andrew Sciberras, Christine Scicluna, Jennifer Shaw, Christina Sillato Warrington, Rossella Soler, Dorianne Rose-Marie Spiteri, Stephanie Sullivan, Gabrielle Marie Tabone, Stephen Tonna, Karen Valletta, Kevin Valletta, Ausonia Vancell, Antoine Vassallo, Charlene Vassallo, Melanie Vella, Thomas Vella, Vincienne Vella, Sara Vella Bonnici, Stefania Vella Laurenti, Sylvianne Zahra and Robert L. Zammit.

Bachelor of Laws

Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo

Michela Fenech, Annelise Abela, Cherise Ann Abela, Katrina Marie Abela, Sefora Agius, Antoine Agius Bonnici, Maria Aquilina, Felicity Attard, Krista Attard, Stefan Azzopardi, Abigail Baldacchino, Stefan Balzan, Giannella Barbieri, Carla Barthet, Claire Bonello, Christina Marie Borg, Eliza Borg, Marlon Borg, Matthew Nicholas Borg, Roxanne Borg, Umberto Borg Cardona, Yvette Borg Cardona, Donna M. Bugelli, Maria Lisa Buttigieg, Mario Buttigieg, Alexander Cachia Zammit, Daniel Calleja, Mikiel Alfred Calleja, Andrew Camilleri, George Johan Camilleri, Mario Camilleri, Kristina Camilleri Deguara, Claudio Caruana, Helen Caruana, Stephanie Caruana, Andrew Caruana Scicluna, Kirsten Cassar, Sophia Angelina Cefai, Christopher Chircop, Sarah Chircop Beck, Justine Cilia, Inger Cini, Ann Marie Cutajar, Joanne Cutajar, Josianne Cutajar, Sera Cutajar, Christopher Dalli, Luke Dalli, Miriam Dalli, Krista Ellul, Aaron Michael Farrugia, David Farrugia, Jacques Farrugia, Jean Claude Farrugia, Marie Josette Farrugia, Ursula Maria Francesca Farrugia, Maria Francesca Fenech, Nicholas Formosa, Anthea Galea, Cynthia Galea, Mandy Galea, Michael J. Galea, Mark Galea Salomone, Alison Gauci, Michael Gauci, Claire Giuliano, Darren Grasso, Jeanella Grech, Sarah Grima, Judy Inguanez, Pauline Lanzon, Philip Leone-Ganado, Nicola Mattocks, Maria Micallef, Tiziana Micallef, Clemente Mifsud Bonnici, Edward Mizzi, Glenna Montefort, Carina Nagiah, Beverly Pace, Matthew Paris, Veronica Perici Calascione, Anna Maria Portelli, Stanley Joe Portelli, Ylenia Rosso, Ibtisam Sadegh, Isabelle Sammut, John Paul Sammut, Kathleen Sammut, Mark Sammut, Hannah Sammut Alessi, Gerd Sapiano, Maria Scerri, Mariella Scerri, Emmanuel Schembri, Abigail Victoria Sciberras, Dorian Sciberras, Gabrielle Scicluna, Sarah Scicluna, Stephanie Shaw, George Spiteri Debono, Emma Spiteri-Gonzi, Rebekah Pija Tanti Dougall, Carina Testa, David Testa, Robert Thake, Jonathan David Tonna, Kurt Xerri, Marsette Xerri, Annamaria Zammit and Kimberly Zammit.