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The University of Adelaide and French education institution ENSTA Bretagne will collaborate to prepare skilled engineers for the Australian and global defence industries through a new dual master's degree.
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The degree, which was announced in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, will be offered in both Australia and France.
The University of Adelaide's Vice-Chancellor and president, Professor Peter Rathjen, said the agreement is the latest in the university's commitment to fostering defence skills, education and research.
"This new degree program is a perfect example of what can be achieved through international collaboration to co-create the future workforce," Professor Rathjen said.
"Universities are unique institutions because they bring together innovation, human capital and global connectivity, for the benefit of society and the economy. That's exactly what we're seeing in this partnership with France."
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for the University of Adelaide, Professor Pascale Quester, said the new master's program will look to attract engineers outside of the defence sector.
"Our new, dual Master's program will feed directly into the defence engineering skills base available to South Australia, as the state prepares for $89 billion of defence spending on submarines and surface ships over the coming years," said Professor Quester.
"The program will target technicians and engineers from Australia or internationally who are seeking to upskill or transition from other industry sectors, such as manufacturing."
The new international Master's program will see students – both experienced engineers and recent undergraduates – spend one semester in Brest, France, one semester in Adelaide, and a third semester in a jointly supervised industry internship.
Students who complete the program will be awarded two Master's degrees: a Master of Marine Engineering from the University of Adelaide, and a Master of Science in Marine Engineering, Surface Ships and Submarines from ENSTA Bretagne.
Professor Quester added the new, joint program with ENSTA Bretagne builds on over a decade of the University's successful Master of Marine Engineering program, delivered in partnership with Australian submarine and warship builder ASC.
"Today’s announcement demonstrates the commitment of the University of Adelaide to co-creating with industry partners the workforce of the future. This joint program will shore up our reputation as a global leader in the delivery of courses on the design, construction and sustainment of surface ships and submarines," she says.
Teaching for the new program will begin at ENSTA Bretagne, France, in August 2018, and will continue at the University of Adelaide in February 2019.
