The first Professional Master's Degree Program in Infrastructure and Construction Project Management is becoming reality.

Despite the fact that in recent years Greece has developed into a safe and stable environment for work and entrepreneurship, young people still have the impression that there are not enough prospects to keep them in the country.
In fact, according to a survey carried out by SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises), five productive sectors of the economy – i.e. manufacturing, construction, business services, technology-communication services and activities related to human health and social care - are suffering from a lack of personnel, while eight out of ten employers are struggling to find the appropriate staff due to lack of workers with the required skills.

However, even in specializations where supply is deemed sufficient, the knowledge and skills of the available human resources are not what the companies are actually looking for. The representatives of SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises) tend to believe that the lack of supply of candidates in certain fields of specialization is mainly due to the obsolete technical professional education. As a matter of fact, the latter has been the case for a number of years now. As a result, the broader educational system must once again review the respective university circulars, training programs and specializations offered.

Especially in the construction sector, according to the Technical Chamber of Greece, there is a lack of specialized staff, such as engineers and skilled craftsmen for the execution of large-scale projects. Furthermore with regard to large-scale construction projects in Greece, it is estimated that over 200,000 jobs will be created in the coming years.

How did we get to the point where a market sector like engineering lacks qualified scientific personnel?   
 

Unfortunately, the financial crisis and the collapse of construction activity had two very important effects: on the one hand, a rather significant part of the workforce fled the country and settled abroad, and on the other hand, the people who stayed and did not leave were not able to continue acquiring technical experience of large projects, that is, the invaluable knowledge that one obtains in the particular field by executing infrastructure projects of high and demanding standards.

However now the construction sector is going through a period with a bit more favorable conditions where the construction outlook in the country is more promising. At this juncture, the creation of a new generation of qualified scientific personnel has become more imperative than ever.

The first Professional Master's Degree Program in “Infrastructure and Construction Project Management” with the contribution of GEK TERNA Group
 

Recognizing the need for targeted and specialized knowledge on behalf of young engineers who will be recruited in order to implement the infrastructure and construction projects of the future, GEK TERNA Group has joined forces with the National Technical University of Athens, one of the country's leading higher education institutions and has jointly proceeded to establish the first Professional Interdepartmental Master's Degree Program entitled "Infrastructure and Construction Project Management".


The Master's Program is financed entirely by GEK TERNA Group for an initial 5-year period with a total amount of half a million euros.

The program is about to start in the next academic year and is organized by the School of Civil Engineering, NTUA, in partnership with the School of Mechanical Engineering, NTUA and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for the interdisciplinary coverage of the subjects it includes.

The Program will include three academic semesters, i.e. two semesters of courses, lectures, technical visits and one semester for the preparation of the postgraduate thesis. Upon successful completion of the studies, graduates will be awarded a Postgraduate Studies Diploma (PSD), equivalent to a Master of Science (MSc) degree.



 

The objectives of the program
 

The Master's Program called "Infrastructure and Construction Project Management" aims to specialize young engineers in the administration and management of infrastructure and construction projects, via the application of new technologies, the familiarization with modern scientific concepts and via the utilization of techniques related to all stages of a construction work’s life cycle. In addition, it aims to cover all aspects of the infrastructure and construction sector and highlight not only the technical, but also the economic, environmental, legal and social dimension of infrastructure and construction projects, starting from initial planning, and up to their implementation and operation.

The evolution of modern infrastructure projects, which require new and specialized skills in addition to technical knowledge, as well as the need to connect scientific knowledge with the labor market and the ever-increasing challenges that young engineers are asked to meet after graduation, make such a multi-level postgraduate program absolutely necessary in Greece. The objective of the program is ambitious as it will facilitate the country’s efforts to acquire a new generation of engineers, ready to implement the infrastructure projects which are about to come.




Info: Further details regarding the Professional Master's Degree Program in "Infrastructure and Construction Project Management" : http://deyk.ntua.gr/index.html

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In the special event realised for the presentation of the First Professional Master's Degree Program in "Infrastructure and Construction Project Management" which took place on February 15th 2023, the Chairman and CEO of GEK TERNA Group, Mr. George Peristeris, stated: "For many years now at GEK TERNA Group we have summarized the philosophy of our business activity in the following two axes: Investing in Greece – Investing in the Future. Today, more than any other time in the past, we feel that our corporate principle has finally found its most actual dimension. This is the way we view it: we do not make a single donation to the National Technical University of Athens; instead we are making an investment in the future of our industry and our country. We invest in the most realistic depiction of our future, i.e. the younger generation, our children. Truly believing in higher education in Greece and its ability to shape the country's future generation of scientists, provided that the right means and tools are in place, we decided to join forces. Through this synergy with the National Technical University of Athens, we are launching a whole educational program targeting the support and development of a new generation of engineers. We wish to offer knowledge, resources and tools to this generation so it can shape the future, and not just manage it or cope with it. Through our plan of actions and initiatives we identify this new generation as a “Multi-skilled Generation”.

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