Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/352862
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 JULY 2014 Opinion 22 Pushing for more tertiary education Ready, set... action! Evarist Bartolo I nterest in our scholarship scheme "Master it!", and the student participation and interest in this scheme, co- funded through the European Social Fund 2007-13, has been constantly increasing. Last week, we launched the fourth call under this scheme which will help increase the participation rate in tertiary education. It is another important step towards the consolidation of the knowledge- based economy necessary for the strengthening of the local market in an international context. We believe that we should help students as well as parents who wish to pursue studies at Masters level. We have removed certain criteria of ineligibility. We are no longer making a distinction between an Honours or a General degree. Even a person who is not in possession of an undergraduate degree may apply, provided that a recognised university is accepting the applicant to register for a course. We have also included those who wish to take studies at distance learning or part-time. In the first two calls for applications, there were 684 responses, of which 464 were awarded a scholarship with an investment of €3.5 million. Earlier this year, a third call for applications was made, to which there were 208 responses. The selection process for these applications is currently being made and the interview phase will be held soon. The scholarships awarded under the first and second call cover various key sectors within our economy but there is a clear emphasis on financial services, educational services, creative industries and life sciences. We believe that this is an opportunity not to be missed and we urge everyone interested to apply. Such degrees will help improve the skill-set of workers and students and provide the foundation for a better career. There are virtually no limitations to areas of specialisation. We hope to attract applications for renewable technologies, product/ equipment design, plastics and advanced materials manufacturing in high-end manufacturing. Life sciences, such as dietetics, health psychology, leadership and organisational development in the health sector, clinical sciences, pharma manufacturing, and veterinary are also encouraged. There is a wide range of specialisation in educational services. These include studies in hearing/visual impairment, autism, learning disabilities, multi-sensory impairments, career guidance, educational psychology, counselling and vocational education. Malta has an important role in the provision of financial services. By offering more specialisation in fund management, marketing, economics and e-commerce, we are providing the right skill set which will attract more business to our islands. We have increased our investment in education. We have even included eligibility for those who are already in possession of a Master degree, provided that the additional Masters course to be pursued is in another specialised area of study. We want to maximise usage of the funds available from the European Social Fund 2007- 2013. The message in the title of this fund – Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life, says it all, and we urge all students to apply. Applications for this fourth call will close at the end of October. Evarist Bartolo is Minister of Education and Employment T he attractions and possibilities that the Maltese Islands have to offer to cinematic production have long been around. In fact, over the past decades, a number of films have been shot, or partially shot, against the backdrop of our rich backgrounds. These projects, however, have unfortunately not been the fruit of concerted and professional effort to attract investment, and looking back over the years, their haphazard, and irregular, occurrence is immediately apparent. The impression one gets is that these films were shot here on the Maltese Islands notwithstanding the apathy and inaction shown towards this lucrative and high profile industry, which generates so much economic activity, apart from publicity for our islands. These past 18 months have seen a radical change in the government's approach to the sector. We are very conscious of the ages-old adage that nothing comes from nothing, and to that effect believe in a solid and serious investment of our time, efforts and money to make sure that our Islands establish themselves effectively and successfully as a location for film making. We have put in place the necessary financial measures aimed at enhancing the value we offer to potential film-makers. This was recently acknowledged and advertised in an article on the prominent and influential film magazine Screen Daily, entitled Malta: Treasure Island. Melanie Goodfellow, the author of the piece, wrote that "Malta is fast becoming one of the world's most attractive international location hubs for high-budget feature films...", and attributes this to the improved financial incentives piloted by my ministry, and approved by the government. It is no wonder, then, to see that the fruits of our hard work are already paying off. The first six months of this year have already seen income surpassing the total earned in the whole of last year, with the forecast by the end of 2014 being that we'll have hosted between 10 and 15 TV and cinema high-budget productions. In the coming months, we are facing a period during which we shall be having three large American productions being shot on our Islands at the same time, something that we have never seen happen before. We are not planning to rest on our quickly gained laurels, however. It is not enough to not 'kill the goose which lays the golden eggs'. The film industry needs to be looked after and serviced properly if we are to continue to enjoy its benefits. It is for that reason that besides the financial attractions we have already placed prominently at the forefront of our efforts, we are also investing in the human resources and infrastructure necessary for our continued success in this sector. In fact, for the first time ever, we have seen the introduction of courses aimed specifically at having suitably trained and qualified staff for the services required as support for film-making – prop managers, logistics coordinators, film administration, producers, assistants to directors, and camerapersons. We firmly believe that when we have a pool of Maltese working with more experienced foreign producers, the experience and knowledge gained will also have a spin-off benefit on our own production, and to that end, we also introduced, also for the first time ever, a co-production fund of one million euros to support Maltese initiatives. As regards infrastructure, the government has recently won back the Rinella film facility from the company which had received it from the previous government, an erroneous allocation that cost the country untold sums of money in lost opportunities. This site will address one of the major shortcomings that Malta had suffered till now in the area of film- production, the lack of a suitable sound stage. This has meant to date that Malta was just lending itself as a place with 'nice' outdoors scenery for an outdoor venue, with all the post-production work having to be shipped overseas, with all the difficulties and disincentive which that created. The enhancement of the Rinella site to include such facilities, will go a long way to increase our competitiveness against other countries which also offer attractive outdoor venues for shooting. The film industry contributes to the economy in myriad ways – both direct and indirect. Besides the direct inputs, such as accommodation, rentals, payment for services, hiring of extras etc, we also find the indirect benefits resulting from screen tourism: the high exposure which the islands receive from hosting such productions. The Malta Tourism Authority published a study which shows that an estimated 3.5% of arrivals chose us as their destination after having been tempted to do so by scenes of the Maltese Islands in films or TV. The phrase which I have chosen as the title for this piece is emblematic of film making, and has been so for over a century. It is also emblematic of how we have gone about strengthening the industry, and ensuring that we move from amateurism to professionalism, from sporadic activity to regularity, from words to.... ACTION! Emmanuel Mallia is Minister for Home Affairs Emmanuel Mallia Emmanuel These past 18 months have seen a radical change in the government's approach to the sector… We have put in place the necessary financial measures aimed at enhancing the value we offer to potential film- makers