One of Savio College's targets was and still is, to nurture vocations for the Church of today and of tomorrow. As a matter of fact it is the main formation house of the Salesians in Malta. With the grace of the Good Shepherd and His Blessed Mother, this aim has always been achieved with one or more generous students deciding to follow Christ more closely as a Salesian priest or a Salesian lay brother down through all the 38 years of the College's story. Although the numbers of young men who answer God's call have diminished, nontheless the young are still deciding to follow Jesus Christ in the footsteps trodden by Don Bosco and we thank God that the young are still opting for the salesian way of life.

Those who feel attracted to our active salesian lifestyle, are welcomed for a couple of days in our community so that they get first hand experience of all our life. In so doing this Come-and-See experience helps them to discern and understand better God's calling. When a young man decides to take on the salesian challenge, he joins the Dingli community, that animates the bustling Savio College, and shares its life throughout the week days. However, he goes to his family in the weekends. This period of formation is called the Aspirantate as it is the time when this youth aspires to adhere more intimately to Don Bosco's way of life in order to fulfill God's calling for him.

As the months roll by, and as the young person delves deeper into the salesian adventure, a further step to his steadier commitment is undertaken. This is known as the Prenovitiate, which could vary between a couple of months or few years. This period of formation, where the student usually graduates in a field of his choice, is just before the next formation phase when he decides to take the plunge and goes to the Novitiate which is a whole year of spiritual, personal and salesian formation. At the end of this very special year, the young man makes his first temporary religious vows of obedience, poverty and chastity.

The novitiate has been done in Dublin, Rome and lately it is being done in Pinerolo, Turin which is right by our salesian roots and hence provides an excellent opportunity for the aspiring salesian to grow amidst all the places linked to our founder.

Following the Novitate year, the community at Savio College welcomes back the newly professed Salesian for the next formation phase known as the Post-Novitiate. It is the time when the budding Salesian furthers his studies at the University of Malta."