University of Iceland's Faculty of Engineering opened at the Learning Centre by the Stream

The new Technical Faculty Centre of the University of Iceland was formally opened at a festive ceremony at the Education Centre by the Stream in Hafnarfjörður yesterday, as Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, signed an agreement for the use of the Menntasetrið premises by the Technical Centre. By moving the engineering programme to the Learning Centre, the University of Iceland intends to further enhance its framework and lay a strong foundation for shorter vocational higher education courses in the technical sciences. 

Changes to the organisation of studies and the transfer to the capital region 

For the past nine years, the engineering programme for the BSc degree has been held at Keili's Ásbrú campus in Reykjanesbær, but students are formally graduated from the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at the University of Iceland. As Keili's operations at Ásbrú have grown significantly, strengthened and evolved, and in order to meet the demands of both industry and students, it was decided to implement changes to the arrangement of the engineering programme and find a location for it closer to the capital region. An agreement was reached earlier this year with the City of Hafnarfjörður for premises for the course at the Menntasetrið við Lækinn, and teaching began there in the autumn. 43 students are now studying the subject there.

The move is crucial for strengthening the framework and facilities for engineering studies, but its operation will be transferred in its entirety to the University of Iceland at the turn of the year. Karl Sölvi Guðmundsson, an associate professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Iceland, will become the director of the Centre for Technology and Engineering, having worked diligently on its move to Hafnarfjörður alongside the staff of the unit at Keili, who are now formally joining the University of Iceland. The relocation of the technical studies is no less an important part of the preparation for a new vocational university programme in technical fields, which will provide entry to further university studies. A postgraduate diploma programme in technical subjects has already begun to be offered within the Technical Centre, and the first students are expected to graduate from this programme in a year's time. The diploma degree then provides access to further higher education, for example, a BSc in Engineering Technology or Engineering.

Opening ceremony of the Centre for Technology at the Learning Centre by the Stream

At the opening ceremony of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Iceland in the Learning Centre by the Creek yesterday, Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, an agreement on the use of the premises of the Menntasetrið við Lækinn by the Technical Centre, as the latter's operations take place at several locations within the Menntasetrið's premises.

 „The Icelandic business community is constantly in demand for more technically skilled individuals, while also calling for a more diverse range of courses in the technology sector. The University of Iceland's Faculty of Engineering responds to this call by developing its existing degree programmes in engineering, as well as offering a new professional degree programme in the technology fields. It is fitting that this important university discipline, engineering science, should find a home in this well-established institution.“ said Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, on this occasion.

„We welcome the University of Iceland's Faculty of Engineering to the City of Hafnarfjörður and look forward to developing and paving the way with the university. Hafnarfjörður is a town of dynamic companies, many of which operate in the technology sector, and it is therefore a great pleasure to be able to offer higher education in technology within the town's boundaries. The Education Centre is already bustling with activity and truly lives up to its name as a vibrant educational community. We are confident that this activity will complement the diverse courses already offered in the building and strengthen the pillars of the Menntasetrið við Lækinn as a house of creativity, learning and technology.“ said Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, at the signing of the agreement.

Further information about the Centre for Engineering is available from Karl Sölvi Guðmundsson, Director, on 821-6466.