Students reading for a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Engineering at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) recently carried out a number of fieldwork sessions in Gozo for the second consecutive year.

Over a span of two days, students devised and carried out different sampling techniques in both land and marine ecosystems. The fieldwork sessions enabled the students to apply the concepts discussed in class-based lectures to real-life problems.

In the field, the students had to collect, analyse and evaluate data to deduce the state of different habitats and of the environment. Based on the information they collected, they eventually presented their ideas on how to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic activity.

Such initiatives enabled students to develop and strengthen skills that go beyond the lecture room and are important for day-to-day professional activities in their field. While importance was given to technical and professional skills that the students will eventually use in their line of work, particular emphasis was also given to transferable skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork and time-management.

An Mcast spokesperson said: “We are living in a day and age where people are more conscious about the natural environment. People are more aware of the numerous intrinsic and extrinsic benefits related to safeguarding our natural heritage.

“This is why it is imperative that students studying about safeguarding the environment and providing sustainable solutions do so not just by discussing theories in class, but by actually getting their hands dirty and practising the concepts that are so important for environmental professionals.”

In a dynamic economy, development and progress depend on the practical application of scientific knowledge. The pedagogy of Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) ensures that knowledge is practiced and applied in real-life contexts. In the case of the BSc (Hons) in Environmental Engineering programme, students actually put into practice knowledge about the environment and develop their professional skills.

Mcast aims to play a strategic role in allowing students to develop and enhance skills that enable them to thrive and succeed in a constantly changing market and be catalysts in promoting economic development, expanding opportunities of employment, and improving the quality of employment. Students are also empowered to develop themselves personally and professionally to contribute to their own and society’s wellbeing.

The students were accompanied by Mcast Institute of Applied Sciences lecturers Juan José Bonello, Edwin Zammit and Francesca Spagnol Gravino.

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