Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514570
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JANUARY 2024 NEWS THE Malta College of Arts, Sci- ence, and Technology (MCAST) held the 'MCAST Apprentice Onboarding Event' on campus in Paola. The event aimed to facili- tate networking opportunities between prospective apprentices and Industry Partners. A total of 67 companies reg- istered and attended the event, which generated huge interest among MCAST students and Industry Partners. This initi- ative enabled prospective em- ployers to meet face- to-face at MCAST students currently following vocational courses that include an apprenticeship component and hold recruit- ment interviews with them on Campus aimed to provide them with apprenticeship opportu- nities. Company representatives were able to present current vacancies and explain their re- spective company cultures and career growth opportunities on offer to MCAST students. Sev- eral question- and-answer ses- sions between employers and students were held. Apprenticeships play a piv- otal role within the vocational education and training system that MCAST endorses, provid- ing students with an opportu- nity to gain hands-on industry expertise crucial for success in their future careers within di- verse industries. Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calleja stated, "Employers often voice con- cerns about lack of skill and tal- ent in the labour market. The College is proactive in creating direct access to student ap- prenticeships. This apprentice onboarding event is a unique opportunity to offer more than the 350 apprenticeships al- ready pledged to over 1,650 el- igible students for work-based learning that will benefit the economy.". During the event, Deputy Principal of Quality Assurance and Student Academic Man- agement Ing. Pierre Dalmas said, "MCAST recognises that different students learn in dif- ferent ways, and this is why apprenticeships are one of the values the College is built up- on. An apprenticeship provides a win-win situation for the stu- dent to learn on the job and for the employer to develop a highly skilled workforce. Our target is to continue offering such op- portunities for apprentice re- cruitment." Currently, MCAST has estab- lished partnerships with over 2,200 companies, but more ap- prenticeship opportunities are needed. The College remains commit- ted to supporting employers in understanding the value of ap- prenticeships, how such an ex- perience can be truly profitable for their respective companies in the long run, and how indi- vidual apprentices can add val- ue to the business itself. Companies interested in the MCAST Apprenticeship Scheme can contact the Col- lege's Apprenticeships and Work-Based Learning Depart- ment via this email address: ap- prenticeship.vacancies@mcast. edu.mt to learn more about the scheme and registration crite- ria. MCAST holds Apprenticeship Onboarding Event University of Malta academic and M.Sc.A candidate present research at international symposium THIS year's edition of the Sympo- sium for the Study of Underdraw- ing and Technology in Painting: titled Cross-Media Perspectives. Technical Studies of Art on Pan- el, Paper and Parchment (1400- 1600), was held between 11 and 13 January 2024 at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and the KBR Royal Library of Bel- gium in Brussels. The symposium consisted of ac- ademics hailing from all over the world and focussed on the techni- cal examination of art in a variety of media and supports. Among the participants were two members from the Universi- ty of Malta: an academic and an M.Sc.A candidate. Titled 'Antonio de Saliba's 1515 Altarpiece for the Franciscan Ob- servants in Rabat, Malta: an ana- lytical and scientific investigation', the paper was presented by Dr Charlene Vella from the Depart- ment of Art and Art History (Fac- ulty of Arts) together with Andrea Luca Bartolo, graduate in Art His- tory and M.Sc.A candidate in the Master of Science in Conservation in the Department of Conserva- tion & Built Heritage (Faculty for the Built Environment). This paper focussed on the larg- est Renaissance altarpiece that was present on the Maltese islands, that consisted of seventeen panel paintings and an intricate, gilded framework. Eight panels form this altarpiece have been identified by Dr Vella, most of which have been diagnostically tested with the aid of warranted private conservators. The interpretation of the results obtained from such analyses was the main concern of this paper. Bartolo stated that: 'The sym- posium was invaluable as it com- bined my interests in the scientific and historical studies of artworks to address their material and tech- nical aspects in particular – qual- ities that are equally significant to both disciplines'. As an art historian, Dr Vella has been involved in the diagnostic testing of Renaissance paintings on the Maltese islands since 2010, and such a conference "comes as a confirmation of the importance of the involvement of technical art studies in art historical studies". Participants were also invited to view the exhibition "Dieric Bouts. Creator of Images" at Museum M, Leuven, and were given the option to participate in various workshops. Dr Vella and Bartolo attended the workshop on manu- scripts held at the KBR Royal Li- brary of Belgium in Brussels, were they were able to view some of the finest fifteenth-century manu- scripts from the renowned collec- tion of the LIbrary of the Dukes of Burgundy.