You might think it unlikely that factory or office workers would willingly commit to a 480-hour course for two years, spending every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5.30 to 8.30 p.m. in a classroom. And pay €2,560 for the privilege. Well, think again.
Last Tuesday, a group of workers who turned up for the first session of an evening Diploma in Manufacturing Excellence at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) campus in Paola, considered themselves lucky to be the chosen ones.
When Mcast and the Malta Federation of Industry (FOI) launched the diploma last month, they decided to limit the number of course participants to 15 per class to ensure better one-to-one contact with the trainers. In fact, a total of 27 applications were received, including five from Playmobil Ltd, two each from the General Soft Drinks Co Ltd, Carlo Gavazzi Ltd, Toly Products Ltd, and Arrow Pharm Ltd.
Faced with the unexpected enthusiasm and determined not to disappoint any of the applicants, the organisers have decided to double the course intake by launching a second course in parallel. A second call for applications has just been issued, giving interested parties up to November 11 to apply.
The course is open to employees in manufacturing firms with at least five years work experience or three O-levels, who have not followed a formal education route but are interested in developing their skills and improving their career prospects.
Described by FOI president Martin Galea as "unique in nature", the diploma has been designed to follow a different path from that laid out by any other diploma offered to date by local training institutes. It was launched following extensive research carried out by the two organisations during 2007 and 2008 on the validation of informal and non-formal learning.
The work was co-ordinated by a joint Mcast-FOI steering committee composed of Mcast principal and CEO Maurice Grech, John Sciberras, director of Mcast's Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, FOI deputy president Helga Ellul and Ray Muscat, FOI director general, backed-up by a joint technical working group.
The course content was first formulated by the FOI's industrial experts and subsequently reviewed by Mcast's educational experts. Finally it was vetted and accredited by City and Guilds. It is specifically aimed at adult learners who have acquired skills and competences through informal and non-formal routes, but have not acquired much formal education.
It is split into 40-hour study units, each covering a different aspect of manufacturing, including strategy, operations, internationalisation, planning and scheduling, management, materials, quality, energy and water usage, lean manufacturing, financial management, product development and innovation, supply chain and project management.
Each unit comprises 30 hours of classwork, complemented by 10 hours of hands-on mentored training and practical work at the participants' own place of work.
Successful participants who are paying the fee out of their own pocket will receive a 100 per cent reimbursement in the form of income tax credits, while firms sponsoring their employees' fees will receive a 17.5 per cent company tax credit. Playmobil Ltd, Toly Products Ltd, Trelleborg Ltd and Actavis Ltd have endorsed the diploma and have committed to offer a number of sponsorships over a number of years.
The course qualification has been designed to reach exit level 4 on the Malta Qualifications Council framework for lifelong learning, making them ideal candidates for first-line management positions.
The diploma organisers are continuing their work and are aiming to launch a higher diploma that would reach MQC exit level 5, enabling participants to climb even higher up the career ladder.
Mr Galea, who is also managing director of Joinwell Ltd, commented that "the programme material... will provide participants with the required expertise... to face the challenges being posed by the current and forseeable changes in manufacturing industry".
Mrs Ellul, who is also chief executive officer of Playmobil, added that "this relationship between industry and education will also assist experienced people in industry who not having followed a formal course of study, have no official certification. Our employees will get appropriate recognition through this diploma."
Mcast principal Maurice Grech described the diploma as 'a win-win situation' to the stakeholders: "Studying at Mcast offers excellent prospects for employment and with good reason, because Mcast designs its courses in consultation with industry partners."
He added that the curriculum is a response "to industry's particular needs and to the ever-expanding, highly-competitive knowledge-based economy" and that the course aims to attract "adults who wish to skill-up, re-skill or upgrade their competences".
Employer bodies and training institutes across the EU are showing increasing interest in diplomas which validate informal and non-formal learning.
The combination of a rapidly changing labour market, an aging population, and intensified global competition is making it increasingly necessary to use all available knowledge, skills and competences, irrespective of where and how they have been acquired.
Aviana Bulgarelli, director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), said the interest in validation can be seen as closely linked to efforts to create a more flexible qualifications systems that make it possible for individuals to build learning careers stretching 'from cradle to grave', or lifelong learning.
For further information, contact Caroline Balzan at Mcast on e-mail: caroline.balzan@mcast.edu.mt,tel: 2733 1283, or Jeanelle Catania at the FOI on e-mail: jeanelle.catania@foi.org.mt or tel 2122 2074, 2123 4428.