Full Marks for New Engineering Course at Gippsland

Five years ago the Gippsland Campus of Monash University together with the support of local industry and community successfully convinced the university to retain a course in engineering at the campus.

The agreement resulted in the development of an innovative Bachelor of Civil and Environmental Engineering degree which combines aspects of civil engineering and environmental engineering, providing prospects for graduates to gain employment in both fields.

Right from the start, local organisations have come on board in their support for the course. International Power/Mitsui, Gippsland Group Training, GHD, Latrobe City Council, Loy Yang Power, Monash Energy, TRUenergy Yallourn, Latrobe City Council and Wellington Shire Council have provided industrial engineering scholarships for the past five years.

Engineers Australia grants only partial accreditation when a new degree commences, with a review required after four years. Such a review was recently conducted for this course and received outstanding commendations.

The review described the course as a “superb model for collaboration with industry, impressive levels of in-kind and financial support from industry, work place learning and exposure to professional practice strongly integrated into the educational design”.

The report also states:

“It is clear that this program now stands clearly differentiated from the professional engineering offerings on the Clayton campus”.

Mr Ken Tabart, Principal Engineer, GHD P/L and Chair of the Engineering Advisory Committee from 2003-2008 says:

“The Engineering Advisory Committee is delighted to celebrate the final accreditation by Engineers Australia. The course joins the fundamentals of civil engineering with environmental engineering to better equip current and future engineers to address both issues in project designs – a current standard requirement to all projects”.

According to Professor Sam Adeloju, Head of School of Applied Sciences and Engineering at Gippsland campus,

“All graduates have found employment in the field prior to graduation. It is good to see that we are achieving our goal of putting quality engineers back into the local community to support the growth of our industries. It is an excellent outcome for the unique partnership developed with local industry and community in making the course a true success”.

One of the key local supporters of this course, Mr Ian Nethercote, CEO of Loy Yang Power and member of the Engineering Advisory Committee for the course, said that

“Accreditation of this new program is a testimony to the benefits which can be achieved as a result of both industry and academia working in collaboration”.

The graduate outcomes have been a key feature of the engineering course. Dr Dushmanta Dutta, Course Coordinator for the engineering program explains; “The future is very bright for our graduates who have had exposure to industry and have capability to plan, design and maintain environmentally sensitive civil infrastructure and systems. There is a high demand for engineers with these attributes in the job markets all around Australia and overseas”.

A celebration was held in September on the Gippsland campus to thank local industries, councils, staff and students who have contributed to the successful accreditation of the course.

From left to right:

- Dr Dushmanta Dutta, Course Coordinator
- Mr Michael Edgar, Latrobe City, General Manager Community Liveability, Chair of the BCivEnvEng Advisory Committee 
- Prof Sam Adeloju, Head, School of Applied Sciences and Engineering
- Mr Ian Nethercote, CEO of Loy Yang Power,  Member of the BCivEnvEng Advisory Committee,  Chair of the Gippsland  Campus Advisory Council.