‘Tech.mt aims to fulfil its mission to facilitate connections between academia and industry’

This week, as Tech.mt and the Chamber of Engineers (CoE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see joint initiatives to promote STEM subjects, Tech.mt CEO Dana Farrugia remarked that such agreements show the organisation’s commitment to creating opportunities for students and academics.

Tech.mt is a joint venture between the Government and The Malta Chamber set up to promote the national strategy on tech and innovation, and aims to fulfil this mandate through such agreements. It aims to actively position Malta as a tech hub of choice, on both a quality and creative level, but also to ensure that the local STEM curricula can be improved and presented in a more attractive way to increase the number of students choosing them as a basis for their career in technology, and thus satisfy industry demands.

The Chamber of Engineers is a voluntary organisation representing Engineers in Malta and caters for the safeguarding and advancement of the engineering profession. The CoE provides a voice to engineers through various representations and is an affiliated member of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI). The CoE works towards the continuing development of its members and the profession through various initiatives including networking, training, events and other professional development opportunities. 

This MoU will formalise a synergistic relationship between the two entities, while the CoE is also keen on promoting innovative technologies and on supporting technology-based industries in Malta, in which engineers play a pivotal role. 

The signing took place between IMalcolm Zammit, President of the Chamber of Engineers and Ms Farrugia, Chief Executive Officer of Tech.mt Foundation. 

Commenting at the signing, Ms Farrugia said: “By establishing mutual agreements with entities such as the Chamber of Engineers, Tech.mt continues its focus on creating opportunities for students, graduates and academics alike. Tech.mt aims to fulfil its mission to facilitate connections between academia and industry, to ensure that the educational system keeps producing high-quality individuals across industry verticals and hence, meet the demand required to keep the local tech sector flourishing. Furthermore, promotion remains one of the main pillars of Tech.mt, and we are pleased that through mutual support initiatives with the COE, we shall continue to strengthen the missions of both organisations in this regard.” 

On his part, Ing Zammit said that: “The vision statement of the Chamber is to make significant and professional contributions to the advancement of Society. As a Chamber, we feel that this collaboration with Tech.mt, which shares similar missions, is an effective way how to contribute towards the promotion of technology and opportunities within industry. This memorandum of understanding will continue to further awareness on the need of STEM careers while presenting members of the engineering profession with initiatives relevant to the technology sector.”