Innovation, innovation, innovation. It seems that being a winner at the eBusiness Awards organised by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) all boils down to this factor. At least, this is what a three-time winner of the Awards has to say.

 

“We were privileged to have winning projects in the last three editions of the MCA eBusiness Awards. As a common factor, the winning projects had a strong element of innovation, particularly in the use of web technologies in inventive ways to reach users. We believe that our innovative spirit in the field is what gave us the edge,” reveals Kenneth Bone, managing director at Mosta-based web development solutions company Seasus.

 

In the very first edition of the MCA’s awards in 2011, Seasus was recognised for its Property Book app for Facebook. In the same ceremony they were presented with the Best Indigenous Enterprise of the Year Award and the eBusiness Excellence Award. This record of three Awards to the same entity in one night is still unbeaten.

 

The following year Seasus won the Best Use of Social Media category with the L-Istrina App on Facebook, which makes it easy for to donate to charity.

 

The latest accolade came in 2013 when Seasus won the Best Government Initiative category with an online applications platform for part-time courses developed for the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST).

 

“We are passionate about what we do and it transpires in our projects. I think that dedication and enthusiasm about a project is what makes it a winner, not just at awards but also commercially,” reiterates Mr Bone.

 

Established in 2001, the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is the country’s leading vocational education and training institution. It offers 170 full-time and over 300 part-time vocational courses ranging from certificates to degrees.  Students are prepared for careers in different sectors of the economy or for higher education. 

 

The need to successfully administer 300 part-time courses meant that a solid online application solution was needed to make it as simple and straight-forward as possible for potential candidates to apply. On flipside, the administration of these courses was also kept in mind as online applications potentially involve less administrative and clerical work than receiving applications in person.  With this in mind, MCAST contracted Seasus to come up with a simple but effective solution.

 

The online platform makes it possible for MCAST to give prospective students full details of each of the 300 courses on offer in a convenient, environment-friendly medium – including all this information into a printed prospectus would involve much more resources.  Once the users decide to enroll, the submission of the application and the online payment are easy to sort out and this also assists MCAST in streamlining back-end processes and reduce manual intervention.

 

This online registration platform makes MCAST one of the first educational institutions in Malta to offer such a service.

 

While Seasus continues to work on new ideas, it relishes the opportunity given by the MCA eBusiness Awards to the hard-working local industry.

 

“We are very appreciative of the efforts that the MCA puts into these awards every year. They are an excellent showcase for the local industry and ultimately the projects themselves,” concludes Mr Bone.

 

The 2014 edition of the MCA eBusiness Awards has been announced. Companies and entities who believe they have a good project to showcase are encouraged to come forward. More details at www.mca.org.mt/ebiz-awards