Schneider Electric has officially opened the Schneider Electric Automation and Control Laboratory at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia.
The lab will house engineering and processing technology and equipment, donated by Schneider Electric and will provide students with experiential learning and training in process engineering, dynamics and control.
[Pictured alongside: (L) Steve Meintjes, Regional Sales Manager, Industry Business, Schneider Electric and Professor Tony Watson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science, Edith Cowan University.]
Officially opened by Professor Tony Watson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science; and Steve Meintjes, Regional Sales Manager, Industry Business, Schneider Electric, the laboratory will be a shared learning facility for students, customers and internal staff. Its opening comes from the culmination of years of close collaboration between the University and Schneider Electric.
“It is widely reported that the mining states, such as Western Australia, are really feeling the sting of finding the right tools and resources needed to equip students and young professionals with the skill sets needed to be job-ready on completion of their degree,” said Lyle van der Veer, National Support & Training Manager, Schneider Electric.
“These laboratories are designed to provide students with the practical, hands-on-training needed and are set-up to be both operational pilot plants and functional labs to allow students to talk with process and product experts and experience new technologies and solutions,” continued van der Veer.
“Thanks to Schneider Electric the automation equipment and programming software at ECU is now state-of-the-art and students can experience process control systems and keep their skills honed,” said Professor Daryoush Habibi, Head of School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University.
“The School of Engineering at ECU is one of Australia’s fastest growing engineering schools, with an annual growth of more than 20 per cent over the last four years. Each year we graduate a number of qualified and job-ready engineering graduates to help address the current skills gap in this sector.
"Collaborations such as the development of the Automation Lab with Schneider Electric are crucial in achieving this and in sustaining our mining and process economy.”
The focus of the partnership is on building the skills and competencies of graduates by providing students with practical process control implementation experience and extending engineering theory.
Laboratory work will cover instrumentation, process control and operation as well as the wider issues of optimisation and energy management, operability, reliability, safety and viability of processes in the plant.
ECU had its first training course in the new lab on 21st February this year with the lab being fully operational to coincide with the beginning of the 2012 University semester on 27 February.