Construction of the new building to house the ICT Faculty at the University of Malta has been taken in hand.

The university has been awarded €17.3 million by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the three-year project, including the construction and completion of the state-of-the-art building.

The building will enable the faculty to offer day and evening degree courses at both under-graduate and post-graduate levels, as well as various diploma and training courses.

University rector Juanito Camilleri this morning welcomed the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information, Chris Said, who toured the site.

“The growth of ICT has to be encouraged and we want to ensure that people are trained and prepared for employment requirements. This objective is clearly in line with prevailing Government policy aiming at a better quality of life, and recognising ICT as one of the most substantial economic enablers,” Dr Said said. He emphasised the importance of collaboration between the university and industry, as well as employers.

Prof Camilleri said the government’s commitment to initiatives such as SmartCity and SmartIsland indicated the large number of graduates needed.

“The university’s output currently stands at about 40 to 50 graduates per year. Through the faculty of ICT, the university intends to help narrow the ICT demand and supply gap,” he said. k environment.