The Environment Agency (EA) is planning to fund a new series of flood and coastal skills undergraduate courses with an estimated value between £2 million to £5 million and is looking to partner with academic institutions.
The Agency has published a Prior Information Notice about the proposed Flood and Coastal Engineering Higher Education Programme inviting interested organisations to express their interest and attend an online webinar on Monday next week.
The Agency is intending to issue a tender for the provision of a suite of Higher Education courses in Flood and Coastal Engineering. The PIN is part of the extensive pre-tender engagement deemed crucial to the success of the project - this is the primary stage and further stages are anticipated.
The EA has been investing in a successful programme of bespoke Higher Education courses in Flood and Coastal Engineering since 2004. The programme is intended to maintain and enhance the technical skills of Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCRM) in both the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs). Access to the courses was extended to LLFAs in 2009 to help them embrace their newly assigned responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
The Agency’s current delivery model is:
- Foundation Degree (FdSc): 2 years full-time for trainees of the EA or LLFAs. The 1st academic year is spent solely at the learning provider which is followed by up to 15 months of work based training and academic study. Trainees are on a 2 year training agreement with no guarantee of employment at the end of the course.
- BSc: 2 years part-time study for members of staff who have successfully graduated from the Foundation Degree and wish to gain a full BSc qualification.
- Graduate Diploma: 4 years part-time study for existing members of staff with a non-engineering background/qualification to gain an engineering qualification.
The Agency said it is now likely to approach the market for:
- A Foundation Degree and BSc in River and Coastal Engineering for the EA and LLFAs - to include technical improvements and to provide the educational base to achieve EngTech/IEng and/or a suitable level of membership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
- Provision of a course similar to the Graduate Diploma (for EA and LLFA) which provide the educational base to achieve CEng and/or a suitable level of membership with CIWEM/ICE.
The Agency wants the future solutions to share the learning material with existing members of EA and LLFA staff. It also wants to embed professional accreditation through ICE and CIWEM within the suite of courses.
In the 1st part of the pre-tender engagement, the Agency is holding a 'Live BT Meet Me' session on the afternoon of Monday 19 October from 14:00 until 14:30 to provide an opportunity to learn about its current offering and future requirements.
Organisations interested in hearing more should email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Thursday this week - dial in details will be sent out on Friday.
Click here to access the Prior Information Notice.
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