IMarEST acquires Hydrographic Academy
The London-based Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST), which has a worldwide membership of more than 15,000 individuals in over 100 countries, has acquired Plymouth University’s Hydrographic Academy now known from the beginning of November as Marine Learning Alliance Ltd.
The venture will see IMarEST experts and former Hydrographic Academy officials jointly develop a new series of e-learning courses to be held alongside existing programmes. The Institute plans to build on the Academy’s innovative methods to provide blended distanced and mobile e-learning, allowing students to learn from distance and earn academic and professional qualifications.
Dr Richard Thain, Director of the new organisation and a member of Plymouth University’s School of Marine Science & Engineering, said that the Academy had already established a truly innovative model for distance learning for offshore sectors of industry, so that anyone can study for a degree on an oil rig or a survey vessel in the middle of an ocean. The deal with IMarEST would facilitate development of new programs and opportunities for students while retaining strong links with the University and its world-renowned expertise for marine and maritime teaching, research and training, he added.
Within the first two years of its establishment in 2012, the formative Academy enrolled over 430 students from 38 countries, with the largest representations coming from the UK, US, Australia, Nigeria, South Africa and Indonesia.
By David Goodfellow
