New Engineering Courses Will Help Manage Scarce Water as Housing Grows
Water and waste are at the heart of new courses in Public Health Engineering planned by the University of Greenwich for next year.The university is working closely with industry partners to tackle a national skills shortage in engineers specialising in water supply and wastewater management.
The Thames Gateway and south-east face huge challenges to provide the water infrastructure needed by the Government’s house building programme. The London Olympics will further stretch available resources.
And internationally, particularly in developing countries, provision of safe water, sanitation and waste management are key to creating and maintaining healthy towns and cities.
Dr Stuart Ashenden of the university’s School of Engineering says: “We are very pleased to be offering the first under-graduate programme in Public Health Engineering in the UK, which will lead to a range of courses tailored to the needs of industry.
“Our partners, the Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Arup, Society of Public Health Engineers and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers are working closely with us to ensure not only that we up-skill today’s engineers but that we meet the needs of tomorrow.”
The university has a long tradition of teaching mechanical and civil engineering and is the only civil engineering base covering south-east London and Kent.
Dr Ashenden says: “Greenwich is able to combine expertise in engineering with the other professional skills involved in building communities, like architecture and construction. Knowing how to conserve and recycle water and waste, and to integrate design to create genuinely sustainable communities, is increasingly important.”
The university will initially run a BEng Hons programme in both full-time and part-time modes, with plans to develop an MSc later.
ENDS
For more information and images contact:
Hester Brown
Press Officer
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 7663
hester.brown@gre.ac.uk