Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/490723
Events 27 maltatoday, Sunday, 5 april 2015 Banif Bank goes healthy! More than a thousand oranges were distributed to staff, as well as to customers through Banif Bank's network of branches, to celebrate Vita- min C Day at Banif Bank. The initiative was or- ganised to pro- mote healthy eat- ing habits and to raise awareness on the impor- tance of adequate intakes of Vita- min C. The fresh pro- duce from Frott Artna was dis- played in branded boxes accompa- nied by informa- tion on the nutri- tional benefits of Vitamin C, entic- ing customers to take an orange or two. Employees got into the spirit of the day by congregating in the kitch- en and squeezing oranges during break time. "It was a day with a dif- ference at the office,'' said Simon Grech, Head of Department, Corporate Services. "We beat the vending machine that's popular on a Friday af- ternoon to boost our im- mune systems with a dose of Vitamin C. "More importantly we're keeping up regular staff initiatives that go a long way in terms of strength- ening team bonds and motivation. People de- velopment at Banif Bank factors in events that contribute to a dynamic organizational culture, along with the traditional remits of training and ca- reer development, crucial to the Bank's operations." Arkadia takes its experience in run- ning quality foodstores to a new level with the opening of its first Arkadia FoodExpress store at the former Axis Club in Paceville. Spread over 450 square metres on one floor, the store format represents a new effort by Arkadia to capture a different and growing element of the grocery and food retail market. The concept of Supermarket, Meals and More is particularly attractive to office staff with busy schedules and foreign students, providing them with delicious, wholesome food, and ready-to-eat snacks. The store has a hybrid format — with a supermarket store, grocery, a wide selection of wines and spir- its, a newsstand, and eventually a ready-cooked food section. The store has a self-service checkout bakery counter to increase cus- tomer convenience and faster cash out. The supermarket section offers a wide range of pre-packed deli and cold cuts, fresh meat cuts as well as the popular, own brand, Ready-to- Go snacks which are freshly prepared on a daily basis by Arkadia staff. The section also offers a wide range of frozen foods. The grocery section contains hun- dreds of packaged foods and other items, from confectionery and break- fast cereals, to pet food, toiletries and cleaning products. A key feature that distinguishes Arkadia foodstores from other stores is the exclusive availability of Wait- rose products, the British brand for quality food. Arkadia endorses the Waitrose philosophy that there are only a few things in life more impor- tant than the food we buy for our- selves and our families. As such, for the past year, Arkadia has offered its clients the superior quality of Wait- rose products with prices that match those of other top brands, if not bet- ter. "With this new format, Arkadia seeks to continue innovating its offer, with the objective of providing cus- tomers with more convenience and a better shopping experience," said General Manager Antoine Portelli. "In the next three months, Arkadia will be opening a second conven- ience store in Swatar to make its quality service available to a wider audience." The new concept foodstore in Paceville is open from Monday to Sunday from 10am to 10pm. The Floorhand Workforce Certifi- cate, completed under the WADI (The Workforce Attraction Devel- opment Initiative) Programme, has come to a successful conclusion with a graduation ceremony, held at Verdala Palace, Buskett, on 30 March, 2015. This is the first cer- tificate programme to be offered by the Ableman Drilling Careers Academy (ADCA) in Malta. The 24 trainees attended an inten- sive seven-week course, developed and delivered by Lone Star College of Houston, Texas, United States, at the Academy's purpose-built train- ing facilities in San Gwann. Speaking at the graduation, Paul Abela, chairman of the Ablecare Oilfield Services Group, the par- ent company of the Academy, an- nounced that the students who at- tended the programme in Malta were the first in the world to receive this type of accredited certification that is recognised globally by the International Association of Drill- ing Contractors. He acknowledged to the Acad- emy's partners, Lone Star College, and the IADC for recognising the ADCA's vision to create a centre of excellence on training for the oil and gas industry in the Mediter- ranean, which is the result of two years of preparatory work. He further announced that by the fourth quarter of this year, the Acad- emy will have invested in a state-of- the-art Drilling and Well Control Simulator Suite, equipped to train 12 candidates per course, and an Offshore Crane Operator Training Simulator with integrated banks- men and slinger training modules. The Floorhand Workforce Certifi- cate course, being part of the WADI Programme, is designed to provide trainees with 70 per cent of practical learning and 30 per cent theoretical learning. It consists of seven mod- ules comprising 288 contact hours, including two industry-specific cer- tificates: IADC Rig Pass and IADC Introduction to WellCap. Three lecturers from Lone Star College were in Malta to deliver the programme: James R. Ward, lead in- structor for the Oil & Gas Drilling Roustabout/Floorhand Programme, and two specialists, Michael D. Branch and Dan P. Hernandez. Other speakers at the graduation ceremony were Lone Star College Chancellor Stephen Head, IADC Vice-President Operational Integ- rity Mark Denkowski, Lone Star College Associate Vice-Chancellor Linda Head and one of the students, Donovan Saliba. The IADC represents more than 1,650 drilling contractor compa- nies worldwide and is the authorita- tive body in the drilling industry. It provides a forum for all oil and gas drilling industry stakeholders to connect, share knowledge, tackle common problems, and develop so- lutions to critical issues. The IADC is headquartered in Houston and is one of the city's largest trade and professional as- sociations. IADC also has offices in Washington DC, the Netherlands, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, West Africa, the Middle East and across the United States. Arkadia opens FoodExpress in Paceville Ableman Drilling Careers Academy holds first graduation ceremony Multigas, the major industrial and medical gas supplier to the Maltese market, has appointed Ing. Mark Asciak as Commercial Manager, with effect from April 2015. Mark takes over from Bernard Ferrante, who has successfully led the com- pany's commercial arm for 37 years and now moves into well-earned retirement. Multigas is a Maltese registered company whose origins as manu- facturer and supplier of industrial gases date back to 1926. Today, Multigas is meeting highly diverse requirements of a wide range of customer applications, while con- forming to international standards and regulations. Holding a Mechanical Engineering degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Henley Busi- ness School, Ing. Asciak, 36, brings a blend of technical and commer- cial skills into the business. Prior to this appointment, he has held diverse leadership and man- agement positions in multinational companies. He has worked with Hetronic for the past eight years, where he held the position of OEM Account Manager, developing business relationships with world leaders in cranes and construction machinery. Previously, as Project Leader with Carlo Gavazzi, he was involved in the development of in- dustrial automation components. Commenting on the appointment, Multigas CEO Ing. Michael Mifsud said, "I look forward to working with Mark to continue providing a world-class service to our custom- ers, while developing innovative solutions for our markets." Apart from the supply of gases for healthcare, food & beverage, refrig- eration and industrial applications, Multigas represents leading brands, offering complimentary products such as welding equipment and consumables, a wide range of gas accessories, hand tools and DIY. New Commercial Manager for Multigas Mark Asciak First trainees of Ableman Drilling Careers Academy graduating in Malta Healthy eating: Vitamin C Day