New Engineering Degree now deliverable across New Zealand

The engineering industry is buzzing with news that the highly-anticipated Bachelor of Engineering Technology has been approved by the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality (ITPQ).

The Tertiary Education Commission has verified that the Bachelor of Engineering Technology has been approved by the ITPQ, for delivery in 2010 across five of New Zealand’s main polytechnics and institutes of technology.

This approval confirms that CPIT, Unitec, Manukau Institute of Technology, Wellington Institute of Technology and Waikato Institute of Technology will be able to offer the three-year degree programme with majors in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Otago Polytechnic will be running the programme in 2011.

CPIT CEO Dr Neil Barns says the Bachelor of Engineering Technology is a result of the collaboration between industry and tertiary education providers to establish a nationally-standardised, degree programme that will ensure the future sustainability of New Zealand’s engineering industry.

“The accreditation validates our efforts to set a very high, common standard across the six institutions in engineering education. We can use this to build the quantity and quality of technical engineering education across New Zealand. The degree has been developed to an international standard (as attested to by IPENZ) and will help New Zealand develop its reputation as a quality provider of engineering education at all levels,” he says.

The Bachelor of Engineering Technology has been designed to comply with the international Sydney Accord for Engineering Technologists, and also to meet the high industry demand for engineering technologists throughout New Zealand.

“Employers have been telling us for some time that there is a shortage of qualified engineering technicians. This degree will provide an increased supply of practical technical staff whose skills are both current and relevant to the industry,” says Neil.

According to industry, in recent years, there has been tremendous and sustained growth in the Electrotechnology sector. However, the level of qualified graduates in the industry does not reflect this development. There is a need for a ratio of three engineering technologists to one engineer. The current ratio is one to one. The accreditation of the degree programme will ensure the ongoing sustainability of the industry both now and in the future.

ENDS