MCAST Apprenticeships 2020/2021

Students following an apprenticeship course must join the Apprenticeship Scheme and actively seek to find and retain a sponsor as otherwise they may not be entitled to the Students’ Maintenance Grants.

   MCAST apprenticeships are divided in two tiers:

a.    lectures at MCAST, and

b.    work experience (on apprenticeship contract) with the sponsor

Students are duty bound to attend both lectures at MCAST and also for their apprenticeship regularly.  To ensure that Students' Maintenance Grants are credited to students on time, students are to forward a hard copy of their apprenticeship attendance sheet to the MCAST Apprenticeship Department every four weeks as directed by the Apprenticeship department.  All absences due to illness are to be covered by a medical certificate.

The Students’ Maintenance Grants’ Board reserves the right to withhold students’ stipend rates, including Summer Special Stipend rates and Top-up Stipend rates for students who do not submit their attendance, and any medical certificates as may be the case, as requested, within the stipulated time.

What is the Summer Special Stipend?​

Summer Special Stipends are stipend rates credited to MCAST Apprentices in September, October and November, which cover apprenticeship with a sponsor during the months of July, August and September subject to eligibility.

No payments of Summer Special Stipend will be made after end of November of the respective academic year.

What is the Top-up stipend?

MCAST Apprentices may be eligible for a top-up stipend rate. This top-up stipend is additionally credited to students working with a sponsor.  Apprentices receive a pro rata amount of the National Minimum Wage Rate in addition to other Students' Maintenance Grants credited to them. 

Information and Queries

All Students' Maintenance Grants credited to MCAST apprentices are calculated on the basis of data passed on to MCAST Stipends’ Office by the Apprenticeship Department at MCAST by the stipulated period deadline. It is therefore imperative that original hard copies of attendance logs are passed on to the Apprenticeship Department on time.  Neither the Students' Maintenance Grants’ Office  nor MCAST Stipends’ Office cannot accept liability if attendance logs do not reach the Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning Department at MCAST within the stipulated deadlines.  Backdated payments are only credited at specific dates determined by the Students' Maintenance Grants' Board.

Apprentices attending ERASMUS

Students who attend for an ERASMUS project as part of their studies during July, August and September are to be considered eligible for Summer Special and Top-up Stipend, since apprentices on ERASMUS are excused by their local sponsor to be able to work abroad and gain experience in a different working environment.  The number of hours worked on ERASMUS are to be included in the attendance returned to the Apprenticeship Department.

Click HERE​ for more detailed information about Summer Special Stipends and Topup Stipend.​