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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JANUARY 2024 9 COMMERCIAL MCAST holds an apprenticeship onboarding event THE Malta College of Arts, Sci- ence, and Technology (MCAST) held the 'MCAST Apprentice Onboarding Event' on campus in Paola. THE event aimed to facilitate networking opportunities be- tween 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 fol- lowing vocational courses that include an apprenticeship com- ponent and hold recruitment interviews with them on Cam- pus aimed to provide them with apprenticeship opportunities. 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 pivotal role within the vocational edu- cation and training system that MCAST endorses, providing students with an opportunity to gain hands-on industry exper- tise crucial for success in their future careers within diverse in- dustries. Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calleja stated, "Employers often voice con- cerns about lack of skill and talent 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 already pledged to over 1,650 eligible students for work-based learn- ing that will benefit the econo- my.". 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 upon. An apprenticeship provides a win-win situation for the stu- dent to learn on the job and for the employer to develop a high- ly 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 committed to supporting em- ployers in understanding the value of apprenticeships, how such an experience can be tru- ly profitable for their respec- tive companies in the long run, and how individual apprentices can add value 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. FinanceMalta presents strategy and activities for 2024 in its members' meeting AS the first month of 2024 un- folds, FinanceMalta organised a meeting for its members to come together in its first networking event of the year, during which they were also offered a sneak peek into the opportunities and events ahead. Over 200 people registered for the event that laid the foundation for a successful and collaborative journey in the coming months. FinanceMalta Chairman George Vella hailed the event a success, as he commented: "Our members are crucial in our pro- motional efforts overseas, and we want to support them as much as possible. The members' meeting was an opportunity, among others, to inform them about what we are planning to do over 2024, so that they can plan in advance their interna- tional activities for the next 12 months. The response in 2023 was overwhelming, and we look forward to further strengthen- ing our cooperation with all our members". The members were welcomed to the meeting by FinanceMalta's new Chief Operations Officer Graziella Grech, who empha- sised the commitment to provid- ing members with opportunities of visibility through local and international events. Ms Grech pointed out: "The active involve- ment of members is indispensa- ble to achieve the overarching objective of promoting Malta as an International Financial Cen- tre, hence the importance of this meeting. The feedback from the activities of the previous year has proven to be remarkably encour- aging, filling us with resolve and optimism for the year ahead." The members' meeting was also addressed by FinanceMal- ta's Chief Strategy Officer Dr Bernice Buttigieg who briefed all participants about the stra- tegic priorities for the Founda- tion, and Andrea Nurchi, Head of Business Development, who presented the promotional initi- atives planned for 2024. FinanceMalta already has 30 promotional initiatives in the pipeline for 2024, targeting all sectors of the financial indus- try. The Foundation will once again be present at Money20/20 Europe, one of the world's lead- ing fintech events, which is tak- ing place in Amsterdam in June 2024. Other high-profile events include, among others, Finance- Malta's highly anticipated annu- al conference in November and the conference 'Malta – Inno- vative New Solutions for Asset Managers', to be held in London, in February, in cooperation with the Malta Asset Servicing Asso- ciation. Andrea Nurchi, FinanceMalta's Head of Business Development, highlighting the promotional initiatives for the year