Students at Bermuda College can now complete the first year of an electrical engineering pathway on the island.

The move paves the way for them transferring directly into year two of a degree at Dalhousie University in Canada and provides a four-year route to the qualification.

The new articulation agreement between the institutions starts with full-time science study at the college then follows with three years at Dalhousie in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It further expands Bermuda College’s network of 45 articulation agreements with overseas organisations in Britain, the US, Canada and Europe, giving local students opportunities to begin their university education on the island before continuing abroad.

Dr Ali Arouzi, the vice-president of academic affairs at Bermuda College, said the latest partnership supports the need to develop more Bermudian talent in the electrical engineering field, which is vital to the island’s future.

He added: “Bermuda needs more of its own engineers and this agreement gives our students a clear route to get there.

“They can start their degree at home, with the support of our faculty, and arrive at Dalhousie ready for second year.”

The Canadian university provides engineering students with access to laboratories and research facilities, while design projects and student teams form part of their experience from the first semester.

Its programme also includes paid co-operative work terms with more than 90 industry partners, with Dalhousie reporting a 97 per cent placement rate.

Darrel Doman, a professor and associate dean at Dalhousie University, said: “While a longtime partner with Dalhousie, this is the first opportunity for engineering to engage with an innovative institution such as Bermuda College.”

The arrangement comes after the college announced an agreement with the University of Memphis’s Herff College of Engineering, which created a structured pathway for students to move from an Associate of Science degree into undergraduate engineering programmes.

Under the agreement, eligible Bermuda College graduates can transfer credits into Bachelor of Science programmes in biomedical, civil, electrical, computer and mechanical engineering, as well as engineering technology at Herff College of Engineering.

Students interested in the Dalhousie pathway can contact Bermuda College recruitment officer Tyson Flood at tysonflood@college.bm or 239-4099.