The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), Malta’s leading VET provider, has concluded an extensive six-month consultation process about its Strategic plan 2022-27.

During this period, MCAST sought consultation with more than 400 organisations and public entities and more than 1 720 individuals including student organisations, social partners, economic operators, employers (representing various sectors and sizes), employee representatives, NGOs and voluntary organisations, public regulatory entities, partner organisations, different ministries, etc.

Discussions mainly concentrated on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic  and on ways MCAST should address short- and medium-term skill needs.

Learning from experience: the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economic operators was the main discussion theme. During the discussions, economic operators shared what they learned from this experience, and employers their perpective on turning their companies around in the face of the risk of failure. Although the exact technical skills needed by employees for the next five to eight years could not be defined in detail, there was an agreement on certain desirable employee characteristics (e.g. creativity,  committment, flexibility, determination).

Employer contribution to students: employers urged MCAST to inspire students to develop their work ethic, learn to deal with challenges, and develop their teamwork abilities. They offered their working spaces to host learning experiences. They also sought MCAST’s support to encourage their employees to train further and to obtain qualifications.

Looking forward: MCAST strategic plan 2022-27

MCAST is always striving to reduce gaps between education and industry by securing an open and honest dialogue with industry partners. Through its Strategic plan 2022-27, MCAST commits to develop the future Maltese workforce with the skills that would allow each individual to function effectively in an ever-changing economic environment. The strategic objectives target infrastructure, quality and relevance of training offers, work-based learning, VET attractiveness, partnerships, management/governance, and innovation.

The college also set three transversal priorities that cut across all strategic objectives:

  • ‘student centredness’: the college prioritises student engagement, retention, development, and involvement.
  • ‘community college and a college for the community’: the college is open to address the learning and social needs of the community.
  • ‘greener sustainability’: safeguarding a sustainable environment and promoting social cohesion and wellbeing is a priority for MCAST.

Building on the Strategic plan 2019-21, this ambitious proposal for the years 2022-27 aims to steer the college in the right direction and contribute to the country’s competitiveness in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

Read more

MCAST Strategic plan 2022-27-Draft proposal for consultation

 

Please cite this as: ReferNet Malta; Cedefop (2021). Malta: consultation for MCAST strategic plan 2022-27. National news on VET.