Rare opportunity for Engineering students

Rare opportunity for Engineering students

Manawatu young people have a rare opportunity for free study towards a UCOL diploma that will open the door to jobs in the electrical engineering sector.

UCOL is offering scholarships for the first year of its New Zealand Diploma in Electrical Engineering in Power Specialisation, to help address the shortage of engineers, especially in the power infrastructure industry.

UCOL Executive Dean of Trades and Technology Kelly Gay says the electrical engineering sector is desperate for job-ready graduates for projects in the Manawatu and throughout the rest of New Zealand.

“The shortage is across the sector and particularly acute in areas like telecommunications which are expanding as technology extends and develops. For example, we know international companies like EDI, which are active in New Zealand, are crying out for people with the right training and skills.”

The Electrical Engineering Diploma also opens up career opportunities in electrical and electronic design, industrial automation and control and power system design.

Kelly says parents and school leavers who want to make the right study and career choices for next year should look very seriously at this opportunity to study for a very valuable qualification, free for a year. “Excellent, industry-based, hands-on training is available at UCOL. And after that, the jobs and opportunities are there,” he says.

The UCOL move is in line with the Government’s strategy to increase graduate numbers to meet skills shortages, including in engineering. As part of that push, UCOL and other tertiary education providers have received funding for extra places on engineering programmes.

Scholarships will be awarded to full time students enrolled in year one of the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (NZDE) Electrical Engineering programme. The scholarship provides free tuition fees for the first year. It is not available to international students. Applications close on 4 March 2013. For more information call GO UCOL 0800 46 8265.

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