For too long, vocational education used to be neglected, receiving limited attention from policymakers who perceived academic training as having higher status.
This attitude has changed over the last two decades as different administrations prioritised vocational training mainly by increasing human resources and financial investment in the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology, better known as MCAST.
In an opinion piece in yesterday’s The Sunday Times of Malta, Education Minister Clifton Grima sang the praises of MCAST’s achievements.
He quoted statistics confirming the valid contribution of Malta’s leading vocational college to students who opt for a career in such a field, instead of going down the academic route.
Still, like most other educational institutions, MCAST faces some formidable challenges that need to be addressed if the country is to improve its rather depressing performance in educational achievement.
UNESCO identifies three pillars of strategic priority that countries like ours need to reinforce to serve the community.
The first pillar is of fostering youth employment and entrepreneurship.
A recent survey among young people here found that the vast majority of them feel the education system does not prepare them to become entrepreneurs.
The success of this pillar will depend on a thorough review of the contents of courses offered by our higher education institutions. Entrepreneurship could be embedded in courses with the involvement of private industry to help students acquire the skills needed to set up their own businesses.
For other students entering the labour market, acquiring immediate job skills may be a higher priority.
While more women are in employment than ever before, vocational education policymakers must craft policies to help disadvantaged groups improve their skills and employability
Grima’s confirmation that MCAST will be helping students “to work and study” at the same time is a welcome development in this regard.
MCAST would also do well to promote equity and gender equality in its quest to attract more students.
While more women are in employment than ever before, vocational education policymakers must craft policies to help disadvantaged groups improve their skills and employability.
One such disadvantaged group is migrants, who are often exploited because of their low educational credentials.
The EU’s objective of promoting the transition to green economies and sustainable societies presents some daunting challenges to all educational institutions.
MCAST policymakers must revise their curricula to encourage green skills. They also need to leverage digital technologies and close the digital divide that is so pronounced in our society.
Today, many skill requirements are volatile and driven by rapid technological change. Technological advance has increased the demand for higher-level technical skills, including at the tertiary level.
Future policy direction for vocational education must include the provision of the right mix of skills for the present economic activities but also anticipate new skills required in the near future.
MCAST, like all other higher education institutions, must ensure that its career guidance services help students make the right choices to enhance their career prospects.
One area that needs more attention is the work experience of vocational education teachers and trainers. Students in vocational education will benefit if their trainers, besides being academically qualified, are also well-prepared with industry experience.
The partnership between industry and MCAST is already well established. Still, more can be done to ensure that more employers are committed to training students by offering well-designed apprenticeships.
MCAST’s reputation as an educational institution of excellence will ultimately depend on the quality of its governance.
Recent failures in this regard must be addressed with urgency because our society deserves to be served by educational leaders whose primary objective is to give our younger generations the skills to succeed in life.