Malta Business Bureau offers traineeships to students

The Malta Business Bureau (MBB) and the Institute for European Studies within the University of Malta concluded an agreement to make it possible for students to obtain credits through traineeship programmes with the MBB.

The MBB said the partnership would provide invaluable opportunities for undergraduate students to gain practical and professional experience.

“The MBB prides itself in providing such an opportunity to students and is pleased that as of next semester, traineeships offered by the MBB will be accredited by the Institute of European Studies,” MBB CEO Joe Tanti said.

Tanti also said that the agreement was innovative and beneficial for university students to gain first-hand work experience.

“So far, 14 students have participated in our programmes. Based on their performance, the MBB highly commends the aptitude of students reading EU studies at the University of Malta. For this reason it will keep providing them with further opportunities in both its Malta and Brussels offices, in order to expose them to a dynamic office environment as well as to contribute towards their personal development,” Tanti said.

The Institute of European Studies Chairperson Prof. Roderick Pace said the European Studies degrees offered by the Institute of European Studies would be greatly enhanced by the scheme because opportunities would be given to students to work on European issues in a workplace environment.

“We are extremely happy with this initiative and we thank the MBB for collaborating with us and for the opening it provides to our students. Students are now being given the opportunity of applying their knowledge of the EU and the skills they acquire at the Institute to day-to-day matters of the business community under professional supervision,” Pace said.

Students would also gain experience on what to expect in working life and Pace said placements were a useful side of the overall learning experience.

“I am convinced that the scheme will gain in popularity as we go along. We look forward to increased collaboration with the MBB and other entities on this model,” Pace said.

Second-year students of the Institute will have the possibility to choose the traineeship as an elective study unit during the second semester.

The traineeship entails a total of 112 hours over a period of 14 weeks, which will cover a total of 4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).

The MBB executive team will mentor students on an individual basis and assist them in developing and enhancing practical knowledge in the area of European affairs. At the end of the traineeship, an assessment of each individual will be determined by a board of examiners on the basis of a logbook held by each student constituting of all the work done during the traineeship programme, in addition to a report drafted by the mentor.