Cairns to gain 1st full on-Campus Engineering Degree – CQUNI welcomes funding pledge
CQUniversity has welcomed an LNP State election commitment to provide $1 million in support of its plans to deliver Cairns’ first full on-campus engineering degree.
At the moment, engineering students in Cairns who want to study face to face on campus have to leave town to complete their degree.
CQUniversity intends to use the funds towards establishment of modern engineering laboratories on the site of a new CBD campus scheduled to open later this year. The University will be making announcements about the campus location soon.
Campaigning in Cairns yesterday, Premier Campbell Newman announced a funding contribution of $1 million to support installation of the engineering labs, allowing for the introduction of full four-year, on-campus Bachelor of Engineering courses in Electrical and Mechanical disciplines.
“We know how valuable it is for students to be able to study close to home, and this commitment dovetails in with our Jobs of Tomorrow plan, which aims to ensure the next generation of Queenslanders have access to high quality training to kick start their careers,” Mr Newman said.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman says a full engineering degree in Cairns will help reduce a shortage of qualified engineers in the FNQ region.
“Over the past 40 years, CQUniversity has earned a national and international reputation for quality in provision of engineering degrees and our engineering graduates are among the most sought after in Australia,” Professor Bowman said.
“Now, with help from local Cairns MP Gavin King, who has worked with us in Cairns since the day he was elected, we have this pledge of funding support to really hit the ground running in provision of full on-campus engineering in our soon-to-be-announced Cairns campus.”
With help from the $1 million, CQUniversity intends to offer full degrees in both the Electrical and Mechanical disciplines, with students having the opportunity of a ‘Co-op’ program providing two 24-week periods of full-time employment in industry.
The first student intake is scheduled for 2016, with the first graduates from 2019. Within five years, the program and other related programs could cater for several hundred students, serviced by around 20 staff.
The new Engineering labs would seek to include:
o Electronics, communications and power engineering laboratories with modern design, simulation and training systems and equipment
o Mechanical engineering laboratory with full set of equipment, such as Gas Turbine, Solar System, Separation and Throttling for Thermodynamics
o Engineering common laboratories for students with networked visual systems and computers specially configured for running engineering software
o Engineering workshops with machine tools to support the needs of engineering teaching and research
In addition to undergraduate studies, the Engineering Labs will create opportunities for research activity in automation and robotics, efficient energy technology, train, traction and vehicle simulation.