Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland said the fund will contribute to promoting clearer division of labor, increased concentration and stronger communities in engineering.
New curriculum was adopted in February and is a follow-up of an evaluation conducted by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) from 2009. The evaluation had showed a significant drop off of students and that they had poor knowledge. Moreover, many community for young and vulnerable, and research and development activities were relatively limited. The new program will thus enhance the professional quality, reduce student drop-out and educate engineers who increasingly have the skills for workplace demands.
– If we succeed, the future will be stronger in terms of the leadership at the institutions. In addition, there must be a more binding dialogue with business and industry, and more cooperation, says Aasland.