An innovative postgraduate work-based programme has been launched for the highways construction sector. The programme is a collaboration between the University of Brighton and the SE7 consortium of local authorities along with civil engineering firms. Its development was funded by the Centre for Work and Learning's Development Fund.

Viki Faulkner, Director of the Sussex Learning Network said "This MSc is hugely important in being the first of its kind in the area of Highways Engineering. The key factor in its success is how closely the university, through its Centre for Collaborative Partnership, has worked with key employers as sponsors and co-developers. We are delighted to have been so closely involved in its development.

This way of working closely with employers to produce a new model of higher education in its content, level and delivery is a great example of what we are trying to stimulate through the Centre for Work and Learning project."

Local authorities and their contractors in the south-east, including Brighton & Hove, West and East Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent and Medway councils, along with Balfour Beatty, May Gurney and Amey, plan to fund 16 places from February 2012.

The university believes that the masters course will fill a gap in the market by advancing engineers' skills and knowledge in contract management and commissioning as well as on the technical aspects of highways engineering.

Some councils, having to rationalise staff in the past, have lost technical expertise and knowledge base. The authorities are collaborating and bringing resources together to ensure that this mistake isn't repeated during the current downturn.

They want highway engineers to gain good management and technical skills and so have championed the need for a qualification that reflects the changes in the local authority role.

Read the full story on the University of Brighton's website.