21 February 2007

Australia’s first postgraduate degrees designed specifically for the Power Generation industry were launched on February 21 at Customs House by the Minister for Mines and Energy, The Honourable Geoff Wilson MP.

The Power Generation Skills Development programs have been designed to enhance the technical competency of professional engineers and those working in para-professional roles and to address the energy demands of a growing population in Queensland and Australia.

The University of Queensland has teamed up with the state’s three government-owned power generators – Stanwell, CS Energy and Tarong Energy – and Queensland University of Technology and Central Queensland University to develop and deliver the world-class postgraduate degrees.

Professor Tapan Saha from UQ’s School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering said the initiative would help address a shortage of skilled engineers in the field.

“The programs fill a critical education need in the industry, and will enable recent engineering graduates, engineers, para-professionals and those interested in entering the industry to rapidly advance their careers,” Professor Saha said.

The programs harness specialist knowledge across the three partner universities, allowing students to undertake courses at each institution depending on their area of interest and expertise.

UQ will offer specialist courses in areas such as regulation, compliance and safety, and generator and transformer technology and design.

Head of UQ’s School of Engineering Professor Jim Litster said the Power Generation Masters and Graduate Certificate were among a new breed of programs offered at UQ which are an active collaboration between industry and the tertiary sector.

UQ will be offering two Power Generation courses in 2007 – Rotating Machinery in Semester 1 and Generation Technology in Semester 2.

Course Coordinator of Rotating Machinery Professor John Simmons said the programs were designed to provide flexible and up-to-date training for those in the power generation industry.

“Modern power station technology presents an exciting challenge because it is at the cutting edge of engineering and is crucial to society,” Professor Simmons said.

Prospective students can find more information at www.powergeneration.edu.au or by contacting any of the partner universities.

Students interested in enrolling in the UQ Power Generation programs should contact UQ’s School of Engineering or School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.

Media: Kim Jensen at UQ Engineering (3366 7406 / 3366 9976 or k.jensen@uq.edu.au) or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)