Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524591
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JULY 2024 6 COMMERCIAL THE ICT Summer Traineeship Scheme is a much-awaited ini- tiative which takes place on a yearly basis during the summer period. This scheme is a gov- ernment-driven funded pro- gramme executed by MITA. MITA in conjunction with IPS focuses on facilitating summer work placements for students, who are studying in all areas of ICT. These work placements are within the pub- lic administration, state funded schools and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This is a tangible programme which seeks to address the current skills gap for ICT roles within the Maltese economy. The Government allocates an annual budget to finance all of the students' salaries for the whole duration of the intern- ship placement. The duration of the placement is capped at a maximum number of hours announced at the start of the scheme. This is normally 300 hours of work placement split over ten weeks. The scheme's objectives are to: • Offer a hands-on experi- ence to ICT students dur- ing their study-years and give them the opportu- nity to apply theoretical knowledge; • Enable students to ob- serve professionals es- tablished in the industry and get a sense of what it would be like to work in an ICT-related field; • Provide students with the chance to enhance their skills which are not typi- cally related to curricular credits; • Offer employers the op- portunity to nurture fu- ture potential employees; • Offer students further encouragement and assis- tance through mentoring which is provided by their employers; • Contribute towards the creation of a national supply of graduates with a c a d e m i c / v o c a t i o n a l knowledge and practical experience of relevance to their preferred indus- try. Students eligible for this traineeship must be enrolled in an ICT-related course at either a public or private educational institution and be completing their first year of Sixth Form or their first year diploma level (at MQF Level 4). During 2024, there were circa 350 students who applied and were considered as eligible. Similarly, to 2023, all appli- cants who were found eligible and accepted their placement, were placed with an employer during the summer period, MITA has been promoting this programme for more than a decade now. Other than serv- ing aspiring ICT professional with skills growth and job ex- posure, this programme has helped sustain the growth of the ICT sector. Every summer, MITA takes on board several students aspiring to become future software developers, call centre agents, security analysts and technical services officer. MITA is highly vested in this program, viewing it as a prima- ry pipeline for developing fu- ture technologists for both the Agency and our country. Those interested in getting more information about the ICT Summer Traineeship Scheme are kindly asked to vis- it https://publicservices.gov.mt for more information. On the other hand, those interested in job opportunities with MITA can visit https://mita.gov.mt/ careers/ The ICT Summer Traineeship Scheme: Facilitating summer work placements for students Ritienne Borg Grech