The Chamber of Engineers says the regulatory board can now proceed with warrant interviews for eligible MCAST graduates after a court rejected a union’s attempt to block the process
The Chamber of Engineers has welcomed a decision by the engineering board to proceed with evaluating warrant applications from eligible MCAST engineering graduates, following the rejection by the courts of a prohibitory injunction filed by the MAPE trade union.
In a statement issued after a board meeting on 5 January 2026, the chamber said the regulatory board had approved, by majority vote, a motion to move forward with warrant interviews for graduates from specific MCAST engineering programmes that were previously assessed through an external accreditation process.
The chamber said the step follows the conclusion of an evaluation by ASIIN, a German-based accreditation agency, carried out between 2020 and 2022. During that process, MCAST implemented recommendations to ensure its programmes were equivalent to University of Malta engineering degrees.
After the evaluation, the engineering board, together with key stakeholders including the chamber, recognised that graduates from MCAST’s Pre-University Qualification Course (PWQC) and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) programmes are eligible to be considered for a professional warrant under Article 3(2) of the Inġiniera Act (Cap. 321).
The chamber also sought to address concerns raised about the eligibility of non-EU nationals for warrants, stressing that the law does not distinguish between applicants based on nationality.
It said the Inġiniera Act is non-discriminatory and eligibility is based solely on the criteria set out in law, urging against speculation on legal provisions governing warrant eligibility.
It also pointed out that University of Malta graduates from mechanical engineering and electrical and electronic engineering programmes who graduated before the introduction of external accreditation processes in 2016 and 2021 respectively, remain eligible for warrant interviews under current rules. Similarly, computer engineering graduates holding a master’s degree in an engineering field also remain eligible.
The chamber said any future changes to warrant eligibility requirements, including making external accreditation mandatory for undergraduate programmes, should only be introduced after proper consultation with stakeholders, particularly to avoid negatively affecting existing graduates who are still awaiting warrants.
Reaffirming its support for the agreement reached with MCAST and the Board tal-Inġiniera following the ASIIN process, the Chamber warned against further delays in processing applications and said it supports all prospective and practising engineers whose education meets professional and legal standards.
As the professional body representing engineers under the Inġiniera Act, the chamber said it will continue providing updates to members and the public on developments affecting the profession.
Read more on MaltaToday.com.mt
