NIT to introduce series of new demand-driven courses

Photo credit: NIT

By Prosper Makene, NIT

The National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Tanzania is set to introduce new courses in the  academic year 2021/2022, to meet the demands of the market.

NIT’s Rector, Eng Prof Zacharia Mganilwa, has announced the approval of six new programmes, including a Master’s degree in Mechanical and Transportation Machinery Engineering, and a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Others are diploma in Electrical Engineering with Railway Electrification, diploma in Telecommunication Engineering with Railway Signalling, diploma in Mechanical Engineering with Railway Vehicles Technology, and diploma in Civil and transpiration Engineering.

A number of other programmes are in the pipeline, Prof Mganilwa has additionally said. They are Master’s degrees in Air Transport Management, Shipping and Port Management, Railway Transport Management, Road Transport Management, Pipeline Transport Management, Road Safety and Traffic Engineering, Intelligent Transport Systems and Procurement and Logistics Management.

Others are Bachelor’s degrees in Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Science with Pilot, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Avionics), Environment Engineering and Transport Planning, Mechatronics and Transport Planning, as well as Education for Technical Teachers.

For diploma courses, NIT’s Rector has said the institute is finalising the process of introducing courses in Civil and Railway Engineering, High Precision Welding and Fabrication Technology, High Precision Machining Technology, High Precision Pressed Parts Manufacturing Technology, High Precision Electrical and Electronics Control Technology.

Carrying out car tyre inspection at the NIT Vehicle Inspection Centre.

Photo credit: NIT

In 2020/2021, the institute introduced market-driven courses that included Bachelor’s degree in Road and Railway Logistics Management; Bachelor’s degree in Shipping and Ports Logistics Management; Diploma in Ship Building and Repair; Diploma in Road and Railway Logistics Operations; Diploma in Shipping and Ports Logistics Operations; Diploma in Library and Information studies; Diploma in Records, Archives and Information Studies; Diploma in Pipework, Oil and Gas Engineering; Diploma in Electrical Engineering; Diploma in Auto Electric and Electronics Engineering; as well as Diploma in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.

“With the new courses that we introduced in the last academic year, the institute now enrols 10,988 students, compared to 7,752 that enrolled in 2016/2017 academic year. This is a big improvement,” Prof Mganilwa observes.

He adds: “At NIT, we are producing enough transport graduates that can feed the new inventions and improved transportation to help bring about industrialisation.”