MAY 22, 2009/LONDON -- Invensys Process Systems (IPS), a global technology and
consulting firm, today announced that it will help establish a new academic
Chair of Information Technologies at the Kazakh-British Technical University
(KBTU) in Almaty as part of its ongoing strategy to develop and improve
engineering skills in Kazakhstan. It is an important milestone in IPS'
relationship with KBTU. The company has invested more than US$100,000 (or 15
million KZT) since 2007, helping to improve the curriculum and development of
1,000 future engineers.
"The ability to draw on skilled local
graduates is crucial to developing our business in Kazakhstan, particularly with
our work on the Kashagan EP Project," said Nick Pomeroy, IPS Country Manager,
Kazakhstan. "Due in part to our commitment, KBTU's students receive invaluable
practical and technical training using the latest technologies within the
industrial sector. We look forward to relying on local expertise as we help our
clients resolve important industrial issues that have a global
impact."
IPS investment in the new Chair represents US$50,000 (or
7.5 million KZT) per year to KBTU, with plans for the next five years already in
place. This follows the opening of a fully equipped, IPS-funded training
facility at the University in 2008, which features the latest IPS technologies,
including its sophisticated Infusion(tm) Enterprise Control Systems
technology.
Professor Iskander Beisembetov, Rector of KBTU, explained,
"We are very happy to have such a strong collaboration with IPS because we are
both interested in creating the next generation of engineers and managers for
this country, this region and for the global marketplace. The IPS Professorship
assists both organisations in integrating higher education and industry to
successfully develop new programmes and training initiatives. KBTU is proud to
have this association with IPS."
The University has now adapted the
undergraduate program to fully incorporate these advanced IPS technologies.
David Lal, KBTU Dean, Masters Programmes, added, "We are indebted to IPS for
funding such a facility. This type of cooperation really helps our academic
staff to ensure that the next generations of Kazakh engineers are productive
from the moment they graduate - it is a real plus to the existing undergraduate
programs".
"We have had a presence in Kazakhstan since 1998 and over the
years have established a strong connection with KBTU. So much so that IPS
technologies now form part of the IT curriculum. This enables us to employ new
graduates with an existing knowledge of our technologies straight into our
Graduate Deployment Program," said Stuart Batchelor, IPS President, Europe.
"This is a win-win situation: IPS gain access to the top students who are
already partly skilled and the students gain experience by performing
intellectually stimulating project work immediately on leaving the University.
Graduates from KBTU that have been part of this program have already been
deployed in Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and Nigeria. As the projects
currently in progress within Kazakhstan come to fruition, the industry will have
a pool of highly skilled and experienced Kazakh engineers ready to be deployed
in country."
About IPS (Invensys Process Systems)Invensys Process
Systems (IPS), headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a global technology, software
and consulting firm leading significant change in process manufacturing, plant
optimization, business operations and enterprise performance. IPS clients are
some of the world's most important industrial organizations - companies that
operate large oil refineries; plants that process chemicals, gas, LNG, power,
pharmaceutical and minerals; and pulp and paper mills. IPS solutions, used at
over 50,000 locations around the globe, include field devices and controls from
Foxboro and Triconex, advanced applications from SimSci-Esscor, operations
management from Avantis, and the world's first truly open enterprise control
system, InFusion.
The company's approximately 7,500 employees
integrate these capabilities to create solutions that impact and increase
efficiency, boost productivity, and accelerate performance. These results help
industrial companies run safer, operate more efficiently, and extract useful
knowledge from their operations to make faster, better decisions. To learn more
about IPS, visit
www.ips.invensys.com.
The Invensys Group
(
www.invensys.com) is headquartered in London and is listed on the London Stock
Exchange (ISYS.L), with approximately 25,000 employees working in 60
countries.
Invensys, Avantis, Foxboro, SimSci-Esscor, Triconex, InFusion,
I/A Series and the IPS logo are trademarks of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries or
affiliates. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their
respective owners.