“This year the government has once again increased the allocated budget by 30% to the tune of €800,000 for the Student Placement Programme,” said Mr Schembri. “This is proof of the government’s commitment to give an opportunity to our youths to have hands-on working experience in the industry of the future. This preparedness can only be achieved however if we are able to build on the academic prowess of our youth and provide them with opportunities such as these,” the minister said.

“The number of companies requiring employees having knowledge of emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and virtual reality is always on the increase,” Mr Schembri added. “This is an opportunity for you all and focusing your studies in these areas will surely contribute for you to have a successful career.”   

In addition, MITA’s Head of Strategy and Business Emmanuel Darmanin underlined that MITA, together with employer partners, has been able in the last five years to offer over 1,600 placements in all sectors which have provided exposure to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and ICT using industry, as the press release says. 

“In line with the various initiatives related to emerging technologies, this year’s event has been created with a direct focus on some of these technologies. I encourage to also make use of MITA’s New Emerging Technologies Lab, experience the practical use of these technologies, and above all make the most out of your Student Placement Programme,” said Mr Darmanin. 

Moreover, the students took part in workshops related to virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain amongst others through which the winners were awarded Delta Tech Week. 

During the event, it was also announced that the government official blockchain event Delta Summit will be transformed into the Government Tech Week between 30 of September and 6 of October 2019 and will cover different areas such as AI, IoT, blockchain, eSports, game development and space research.

The post MITA student placement to host 380 students in 2019 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

During the session, Christian Vella Masini from the Ministry for Gozo said that the 5% growth of the economy of Gozo per annum per capita can be predominantly attributed to small-scale but high value-added manufacturing and services activities. 

In addition, Mr Vella Masini underlined the interest by the Ministry for Gozo in welcoming incentives that provide easier access to finance. In fact, these are necessary to further enhance investment and job creation within Gozo, giving life and energy to such businesses. 

Furthermore, MDB chief officers Joseph Darmanin and Maria Xuereb explained that the MDB performs a promotional role, supporting productive and viable operations where the market is unable to accommodate due to higher credit risks. Therefore, their bank works on complementing commercial banks in bridging financial gaps in bankable investments. It provides guarantee schemes intermediated through commercial banks to enhance small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) access to finance and to facilitate more attractive terms for bank lending to SMEs.

Moreover, Executive SME Finance of BOV Alfred Buhagiar illustrated how these guarantees assist SMEs to tap into financing through the BOV Family Business Success and BOV SME Invest loan products. 

As a matter of fact, the BOV Family Business Success facilitates the transfer of ownership between family members within a Family Business certified with the Family Business Office, while the BOV SME Invest offers a financial solution to SMEs including startups, seeking finance to grow and reach their full potential through reduced collateral requirements and financing costs, the press release says. 

“Businesses in Gozo never operate on a level playing field as those on the mainland, and the Malta Development Bank can be the bridge or link that can help our enterprises prosper.  With this in mind, we will be asking the Malta Development Bank to study regional financial packages, which acknowledge the specificities of our Island,” concluded the President of the Gozo Business Chamber Joseph Borg. 

The post BOV, MDB offer support for Gozitan businesses first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.