Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas signed the conditions for support for establishing the Engineering Academy. The budget for the Engineering Academy, which is a cooperation platform for the Republic of Estonia, various educational institutions, and employers, is over 21 million euros for the period between 2023 and 2029, the majority of which is allocated to TalTech. Other universities in the Engineering Academy are the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the TTK University of Applied Sciences, and the Estonian Aviation Academy. At a later stage, vocational education schools will also join the Engineering Academy.
‘We have actively been working on the Engineering Academy measure for over two and a half years. Therefore, we are very pleased, but also relieved, that a huge step forward has been taken in the launch of the measure,’ said Hendrik Voll, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of TalTech. ‘I would like to express my gratitude to all university members who made a significant contribution: Hanno Tomberg, Fjodor Sergejev, Ivar Annus, Kristo Karjust, Betra Leesment, Terje Haidak, Laur Lemendik. However, the list of contributors is a lot longer.’
The main objectives of TalTech regarding the Engineering Academy are to increase the number of students accepted to engineering programmes, improve the level of teaching, reduce drop-out rates, and increase graduation rates. Focus curricula have already been selected, which will receive a significant overhaul and be more aligned with the professional realm. Project-focused and problem-based study is going to be implemented more broadly. In addition, we will improve cooperation with the potential employers of engineers.
To prevent students from dropping out, more individual support is going to be offered, among all else, by creating a mentorship system and options for additional study in natural sciences. ‘We prioritise the professional development of our lecturers and want to focus more on supporting lecturers at the start of their career,’ stated Hendrik Voll.
However, the students of the university are not the only target group of the Engineering Academy. In order to increase the level of interest in technology among girls, TalTech is going to create some courses for the upper secondary level in partnership with HK Unicorn Squad. The aim is to include over 1,000 girls across Estonia by 2026. Moreover, the programme supports the Young Engineer Programme of TalTech, where over 60 pupils study technology in depth every year. Online courses as electives for schools are also coming soon.
In addition to the Engineering Academy, the support measure approved on 9 November is also used for funding the already existing IT Academy with over 12 million euros. These projects are supported by the European Social Fund.