News Releases

UWI launches Engineering Asset Management Master’s programme

For Release Upon Receipt - April 16, 2009

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies is now inviting applications for the Engineering Asset Management Masters (EAM) degree. The programme aims to produce graduates who will make their organisations more competitive, cost-efficient and and productive. From September 2009, the EAM programme will be offered part-time in the evenings over two years, or full-time over one year.Engineering Asset Management is an emerging inter-disciplinary field that combines the technical issues of asset reliability, safety and performance with financial and managerial skills. The emphasis of EAM is on achieving sustainable business outcomes and competitive advantage by applying holistic, systematic and risk-based processes to decisions concerning an organisation’s physical assets, including its fixed plant, mobile equipment and civil, electrical and mechanical infrastructure. EAM is aimed at providing industry with competent engineers and managers capable of acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposition of the physical assets of the organisation.

This programme is for personnel wishing to upgrade their skill sets to become competent maintenance practitioners, but would be most useful to engineers and managers holding responsibilities for plant maintenance and projects in manufacturing, utilities, energy engineering and engineering service industries. The programme intake is limited to about 25 for the first cohort. Graduates will be Engineering Managers capable of effective management of the engineering assets of their organisations. Professor Chanan Syan, Programme Leader for Graduate Studies in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, describes EAM as “the missing link in the Caribbean”.

“Caribbean countries are in that phase of their development where the majority of the industrial and economic activities comprise of procuring plant and assets, using these to produce value-added products and services locally and internationally. Effective asset procurement, operation, maintenance and disposal are the core competency requirements for the region. However, there is no capacity building, development in this critical area of engineering asset management regionally,” explained Syan, a Professor of Production Engineering and Management.

The programme, which aims to bring in world-class practitioners along with local and regional experts, was designed specifically for local and wider Caribbean needs.

“The majority of local industrial activities involved procuring plant and equipment, operating it and maintaining it to provide products and services and of course make profit. Most organisations rely on offshore expertise to fulfill this human resource requirement. This of course comes at high cost and does little to develop capacity for the region. This is the first certified programme in the English-speaking Caribbean which aims to develop the key skills and expertise needed for effective maintenance and asset management in the range of industries in Trinidad and Tobago and the region.”

The development of a body of knowledge to meet the needs of a competent asset manager is an ongoing issue. Three World Congresses on EAM have been held already, and a fourth is to take place in September 2009 in Greece. The new UWI programme was developed in partnership with the University of Toronto (Canada) and the University of Warwick (UK), and will be run in collaboration with the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Mount Hope, Trinidad.End

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Online applications will continue from March 23rd to May 15th, 2009. For application details, please visit http://sta.uwi.edu/postgrad.apply.asp . Entry requirements include a BSc in Engineering or Science or an equivalent. One year of industrial experience is desirable but not necessary. Candidates with other qualifications will be considered if they have at least 10 years industrial experience in the area of Engineering Asset Management.

POSTGRAD OPTIONS: The University of the West Indies, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering offers MSc programmes in Production Engineering & Management, Production Management, Engineering Management, Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Asset Management. Syllabuses are available online at http://www.sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/facultybooklets/EngPostgrad.pdf . Persons interested in pursuing research leading to the MPhil or PhD degrees in Agricultural, Industrial, Mechanical or Production Engineering & Management are invited to the Head of Department.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: The Department may be able to provide some financial support for specific research projects. Trinidad and Tobago nationals are eligible for support under the GATE programme. For more information, please contact The Secretary at UWI Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering and Management Office at (Tel.) 868 662 2002 Exts 2074 or 2067, (Fax) 868 662 4414, or (E-mail) Production.Engineering@sta.uwi.edu or visit our website: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/eng .

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME LEADER: Professor Chanan S Syan is a Professor of Engineering, Head of Production Engineering and Management and Leader of Graduate programmes in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine. He graduated from the University of Bradford (UK) in Mechanical Engineering and obtained his PhD at the University of Hull (UK). He has over 15 years of industrial experience, having designed and developed graduate programmes in blue chip companies such as GEC Ltd. and Marconi. He also has over 22 years’ experience in academia, including graduate programme development and delivery at Warwick and Nottingham Universities (UK). His specialisations include Brain Computer Interface, Biomedical Engineering, Performance Measurement and Improvement, Design/Manufacturing Engineering and Management and Asset Management.

ABOUT UWI: The University of the West Indies (UWI) is an international university with over 40,000 students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean.

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