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13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 MAY 2024 NEWS MCAST is calling on industry leaders to provide more work- place learning opportunities to students. With a shortage of ap- prenticeship vacancies, MCAST urged employers to take on 800 students who must complete an apprenticeship as part of their course requirements. This year, around 1364 students are cur- rently on an apprenticeship with over 498 companies. While the retention rate of apprentices is an encouraging 80%, more open- ings are needed. These challenges were dis- cussed during a business break- fast for stakeholders on campus in Paola on 29 April. The cen- tral theme was the importance of investing in local talent and the need for more companies to participate in the apprenticeship scheme. The event is part of the Encounter: MCAST meets in- dustry series supported by the Ministry of Education. Several key speakers from var- ious local entities, including the Malta Chamber, the Malta Chamber of SMEs, the Malta Employers' Association, Job- sPlus, and the Gozo Business Chamber, participated in a panel discussion held during the event. MCAST Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calle- ja said, "As a vocational college, work- based learning is at the heart of our work. Our college offers over 50 programmes that cater to 27 sectors and include an apprenticeship component. We need industry support so that together, we can prepare our youth for the world of work with technical skills, life skills, and valuable learning experienc- es." This event served as the per- fect platform to enable fruitful discussions and insights into the future of apprenticeship programmes. Several key topics were discussed during the event, including revision and improve- ment of the apprenticeship scheme policy, the importance of mentorship and discussions on required updates to the cur- rent apprenticeship legislation. Employer representatives en- couraged MCASt to increase outreach initiatives at the micro level while also emphasising that MCAST should be a key player in employment and skills policy at national level. Deputy Principal Ing. Pierre Dalmas said, "MCAST recognis- es that different students learn in different 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 oppor- tunities for apprentice recruit- ment." Dr Romina Borg, Director of Apprenchips and Workplace Learning, presented the cur- rent apprenticeship scheme. She said that despite the surplus of jobs and the skills shortage, there is still a discrepancy in ap- prenticeship take-up. MCAST is asking industry leaders to work with educators to tackle the stumbling blocks prevent- ing students from pursuing ap- prenticeships. 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 expertise crucial for success in their future careers within diverse industries. 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 companies in the long run, and how individual appren- tices can add value to the busi- ness. Companies interested in the MCAST Apprenticeship Scheme can contact the College's Ap- prenticeships and Work-Based Learning Department at ap- prenticeship.vacancies@mcast. edu.mt to learn more about the scheme and registration criteria. MCAST urges industry to provide more apprenticeship opportunities Panel discusses the importance of investing in local talent and the need for more companies to participate in the apprenticeship scheme MEMBERS of the People & Cul- ture team at Bank of Valletta met MCAST Paola students during this year's MCAST Career Expo. In growing organisations such as BOV, it is very common that opportunities for work place- ment are offered regularly. One of the Bank's focus is to support the education system, offering rewarding experiences that turn into lifelong careers. Bank of Valletta offers an ex- tensive Apprenticeship Pro- gramme specifically designed for MCAST students, which not only leads to a Banking and Fi- nance career path, but includes also working opportunities in the areas of IT, Business Admin- istration, Insurance, and other industry-specific areas such as ESG, Anti-Financial Crime, Risk and Compliance. The Bank currently employs 49 students under the MCAST Ap- prenticeship Programme, with careers spanning various areas including Trade Finance, Stock- broking, and Corporate Finance. Placements are also found at various Branches, Business Cen- tres, IT departments, Investment Operations, Controls, Risk & Compliance, Tax and Legal units amongst others. The experience has shown that in most instances, students who join the Appren- ticeship Programme during their MCAST studies will eventually continue working for the Bank once they finish their studies. As is the case of Tiffany Pace, who at just 21 years of age, has al- ready gained over 4 years of expe- rience working for Bank of Val- letta, having started her career as an MCAST apprentice. "My journey at Bank of Valletta be- gan while sitting for an Advanced Diploma in Business Adminis- tration at MCAST. Back then, I started performing front-line duties at Birkirkara Branch, an experience which provided me with adequate knowledge, thus making the shift to a full-time basis, a seamless one. Two years later, I am proud to be an inte- gral part of the BOV community, forming part of the Talent Ac- quisition Team at the People & Culture unit. I am eager to keep on learning and growing within the People & Culture team, com- mitted to furthering my studies, and fully confident that the Bank will continue to support me every step of the way." The MCAST Career Expo served as a showcase of career op- portunities available both in the Private and Public Sectors, where various organisations met under one roof to promote their work- place with MCAST students. Bank of Valletta offered addition- al value during the Expo, with an information session delivered by Senior Marketing Manager, Vanessa Borg on the Marketing techniques used by the Bank in promoting its products and ser- vices. Students following courses in Marketing and Business Man- agement attended the session and were given insights into the marketing process adopted by Bank of Valletta, from identifying business opportunities and the right target audiences to imple- menting the creative visuals of a marketing campaign to analysing and measuring the effectiveness and tracking the sales records. 49 students at BOV under MCAST Apprenticeship Programme