A Nuneaton businessman has signed up for the first Demolition Management Master’s degree in the UK.
Richard Dolman, director at AR Demolition, is enrolling on the course which starts in September at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Architecture and Built Environment.
Accredited by the Institute of Demolition Engineers (IDE), the course has been designed in conjunction with industry specialists and will be delivered by academics and demolition sector experts. This follows the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Wolverhampton and IDE last September.
The sector, which works on more than £8bn of projects per year, will use the qualifications to attract more young people into the industry and ensure that current demolition engineers have access to professional development opportunities.
Key representatives from industry and academics from the curriculum delivery team have attended a series of planning meetings over the last two years to design the new Master’s degree course.
Richard said: “This new degree is a great step forward for learning and will be brilliant for our industry, moving forward in its quest to be ever more professional. I thought I’d like to get a degree in what I do, especially as I was never interested academically when I was younger.
“There’s a huge skills gap in demolition on all levels and it’s a personal challenge of mine to start to plug that gap.”
Mick Ulyatt, Chair of the IDE Education Committee, said: “The formal accreditation of this degree is an historic landmark for the development of demolition engineering and is an important milestone in trying to get more young people interested in pursuing a career in this field.
“We have no problem attracting labourers and operatives, which is great. However, we want youngsters looking to become chartered demolition engineers, senior managers and the leaders of the future.”
To date, 10 people have signed up for the Master’s course, which will initially be delivered at City Campus in Wolverhampton and comprise of up to 15 different modules. These will range from asbestos removal and façade retention to working with explosives and health and safety.
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