Scotland-Spain Energy MBA is launched
Elaine Collinson, George Burt & Sandy Wilson (SBS) and Alfredo Arahuetes (Dean ICADE Business School) & Robert Robinson (Director of ICADE Business School).
Energy experts from around the world will be coming to Strathclyde as part of a bespoke international MBA programme which was launched by the First Minister Alex Salmond on April 11 in Spain.
The MBA in Global Energy will be run jointly by ScottishPower, its parent company Iberdrola, Strathclyde University and Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University ICADE Business School. Details of the course were announced by Mr Salmond during a meeting he had with ScottishPower and Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galan at the group's training centre in Madrid.
The course will see Iberdrola employees from more than 40 countries studying technical and commercial aspects of worldwide energy markets in Scotland and Spain.
Mr Salmond said, "The energy industry – particularly renewables – offers the opportunity to reindustrialise Scotland, and leading an international education partnership like this gives us an enormous competitive advantage.
"Not only will students from countries such as the United States, Brazil and Mexico come to Scotland, ScottishPower staff will be able to learn alongside colleagues from around the world and equip themselves with the skills to work in any number of countries.
"Strathclyde University and Iberdrola already have a close and productive relationship and this new MBA course puts both Scottish education and energy at the heart of a growing global industry.
"The value of Scotland's energy specialists to the industry worldwide is clear. Only a few weeks ago ScottishPower announced 300 new jobs – as well as £6.5 million pounds investment in grassroots training – and Iberdrola's worldwide offshore wind business is based in Glasgow.
"It is therefore vital that our energy sector retains its position at the cutting edge of what is a very competitive global market and being at the heart of international developments like this is exactly where we should be."
Professor Susan Hart, Dean of Strathclyde Business School, said, "The University of Strathclyde has a clear focus on building partnerships with business and industry, to create educational experiences for executives that are challenging, rigorous and useful. At the business school, our partnership executive education programmes are tailored to the needs of specific sectors and the contemporary challenges that businesses face, which distinguishes the way we develop and deliver value.
"This bespoke MBA will further strengthen the University's long-standing relationship with Iberdrola. This is a truly international partnership that will involve staff from Spain, Mexico, Brazil and the USA, providing them with a global perspective of successful strategies for the energy industry.
"Strathclyde Business School is known for innovation in leadership and management education, and our aim is to add value to our partners' achievements by working with them on the development of their talent, building reflective and agile teams."
Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said, "With a rapidly-growing energy sector and an international reputation for research and education, Scotland is ideally placed to develop high calibre leaders for the global energy sector.
"We are delighted ScottishPower is investing in its people and we look forward to welcoming our first Global Energy MBA students to the University of Strathclyde."
Ignacio Galan, chairman of Iberdrola and ScottishPower, said, "Energy is a global business and, as engineers, we must be ready to meet the global challenges that our industry faces.
"We have long standing relationships with both the University of Strathclyde and Comillas University. Both institutions excel in engineering merit and we look forward to developing this new innovative international partnership."
