Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1490058
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JANUARY 2023 14 COMMERICAL An inter-generational encounter: when children and the elderly enrich each other's lives VISTA Coop is a pioneer in the early years education. Follow the Reggio Emilia approach, we assist children in feeling part of a community and to share life experiences with signifi- cant others. For this reason, when contacted by CareMalta for an inter-generational pro- ject, Vista Coop immediately accepted. The first part of this project started off as a trial, since it was the first of its kind for both Vista Coop and CareMalta. On Thursday, 15 December 2022, Vista Coop hosted the first group of 10 elderly citizens from (Zejtun Home & Rose- Ville Attard) at their Kidstart Kindergarten in Sta Venera. The three and four-year old students were briefed in ad- vance about this project and their enthusiasm was reflected in their innovative ideas. Af- ter some brain-storming ses- sions, students together with their educators came up with a programme. Being so close to Christmas, they wanted this encounter to bring joy to the elderly home residents. The senior citizens were wel- comed at Kidstart Childcare and Development Centre. Af- ter the initial introductions and some time to settle in, the students showed the residents how they usually do circle time. The children sang the fa- mous Maltese Christmas song: "Christmas Father ġibli pupa", and soon after, the residents joined chorus in singing other traditional songs. The second part of the pro- gramme saw the children con- structing a Christmas tree craft together with their new elder- ly friends. This was a special bonding moment where the children's excitement, together with the sweetness of the elder- ly, was tangible. This encounter came to an end with tea and coffee, and having ample time for a nice chat. Whilst the Kindergarten students prepared Christmas cards for the visitors, the latter gave out knitted scarves and small knitted bags with choco- lates to the children. This experience was one to cherish, for both students and residents. It was a great suc- cess, and it will definitely not be the last one. These sweet en- counters are beneficial for both age groups, and Vista Coop is willing to work on similar pro- jects in the near future. MCAST alumni successfully complete the Engineering Pre Warrant Qualification Course THE Malta College of Arts, Sci- ence, and Technology (MCAST) will be awarding certifications to the first 29 alumni who have successfully passed the Engi- neering Pre Warrant Qualifica- tion Course (PWQC). This event will underline the alumni's hard work and recog- nizes their important contribu- tions to the field of engineering both nationally and internation- ally. Moreover, the engineering board formally notified MCAST, that the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in En- gineering, Informatics, Natu- ral Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN e.V.) deemed the Col- lege's Bachelor in Engineering programs as having the neces- sary academic standards and are highly similar to programmes offered within other European institutions. ASIIN noted that the Pre Warrant Qualification Course (PWQC) leads to results that confirm the engineering capa- bilities of the applicants and regarded this as "a reasonable justification for their eligibility for the award of the Engineering Warrant". The local Board of Engineers unanimously approved the con- clusions of the ASIIN's afore- mentioned report and con- firmed its position in line with the ASIIN's recommendations. MCAST pledges to continue delivering high-quality academic engineering programmes which are both innovative and indus- trially relevant to its students.