Meet former students at the master’s programme in Industrial Asset management

Vanessa Sele and Ine Høines took a master's degree in Industrial Asset Management.

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"This study gives you the freedom to choose"

What was your initial motivation for choosing maintenance and reliability engineering as a discipline?

Portrett av Vanessa Sele
Vanessa Sele. Photo: Private

I have a bachelor in petroleum engineering, and when I was thinking about my future master, I wanted to choose a study that gave me a more interdisciplinary background, in case it would be difficult to find work in the O&G industry in the future. When I saw that UiS offered a master study that included reliability and maintenance engineering as part of the programme, and it would even be possible to write a master to that, I thought it would be a smart direction to take. In this way I would not just be limited to the O&G industry.

How did the Industrial Asset Management programme at UiS help in nursing your ambition for career development in maintenance and reliability engineering?

The courses were very comprehensive, and we were given several examples from different kinds of industries. A positive aspect of the programme is that all students have different backgrounds, coming from different countries, with different bachelor degrees and working experience. This is very similar to what I now encounter in the working place, so the group dynamic is not that different. Another thing that this study is very good at is developing your communication skills, which are vital in the working life as a maintenance and reliability engineer. The study gives the student the freedom to choose among a wide variety of subjects for the master's thesis, allowing the student to further explore the field or industry they find more appealing. A lot of companies come each year with interesting subjects to write about.

What improvement opportunities, if there are any, did you realize within the program for attracting more women into the maintenance and reliability engineering fraternity?

I was surprised, when started working after completing the study, how many women are working within maintenance and reliability engineering in Norway. In fact, most of my colleagues are women, making this choice feel even more right. If anything, making the students aware of the number of women working in this discipline should attract even more women. Maintenance and reliability engineering encompasses a wide range of roles, so there will always be possible to explore new roles and to be part of different interesting projects.

Any words of wisdom and encouragement to women who are looking to join or are already in the Industrial Asset Management programme and looking forward to take on a career path in maintenance and reliability engineering?

This study is the perfect choice both for Norwegian and international students, offering a perfect combination of courses that makes one prepared for a wide range of positions and roles. Especially, if coming with a bachelor's degree from another country, this study will make you very attractive both if you want to work for a Norwegian company, but also if you want to look for work abroad. Another good reason is that companies seem to be struggling to find competence for hire within maintenance and reliability engineering, so if you choose this path, you will become highly attractive to them.

When Ine Høines started her studies in Industrial Asset Management, she realised that she had made the perfect study choice

What was your initial motivation for choosing Industrial Asset Management as a discipline?

After I completed my bachelor's degree, I was ready and motivated to start a master's degree. I generally spent a lot of time researching different options on the various studies' websites, but also through other people's experiences. When the choice was finally made between Industrial Asset Management and Industrial economics, it was the fact that Industrial Asset Management had an interdisciplinary focus with economics and technology that was decisive.

How did the Industrial Asset Management programme at UiS help nurture your ambition for career development in maintenance and reliability engineering?

Portrett av Ine Høines
Ine Høines. Photo: Private

Before starting my studies, I had not realized how satisfied I could be with a degree. With professors who are highly focused on optimizing the programme, I found that the master's degree had a more industrial point of view, compared to my very theoretical bachelor's degree.

The interest in maintenance initially came as a bit of a surprise to me, because it was not what I was most looking forward to working with. These subjects gave me the opportunity to work with concrete issues from different industries, in collaboration with other students.

I also experienced that the programme made it possible for you to shape your degree, somewhat, according to what you wanted to work with when you go into working life. In the 3rd semester, it was possible to choose electives that interested you the most.

What opportunities for improvement, if any, did you perceive within the programme to attract more women into the maintenance and reliability engineering fraternity?

What became very clear to me at the start of my studies was that this was a male-dominated study. This is not necessarily a weakness or a strength, but I would like to point out to others that this is equally manageable for women and men. I believe that simple but essential changes, such as simplifying the name of the study program and courses, can have a positive effect on the recruitment of women. I think of industrial management or industrial technology as two examples of non-intimidating titles. Preferably for Norwegian girls, I think fronting Norwegian titles can make it more understandable. As I think "generasjon prestasjon" is very integrated in girls my age, where the fear of not being able to succeed can get in the way of taking opportunities.

Any words of wisdom and encouragement for women who want to join or are already in the Industrial Asset Management programme and looking forward to a career path in maintenance and reliability engineering?

I expected to end up in a male-dominated industry. The reality has been completely different, especially in Gassco where I am employed. I experience the company as very gender neutral. It is important that women are not intimidated by difficult titles, because behind the titles there are many exciting tasks.

When it comes to maintenance, this must be one of the most exciting tasks in my eyes. You will have the opportunity to work with real time operations. At the same time, you will be challenged to think creatively about how you can plan maintenance to optimize operations in the future.

I hope to see more female applicants to the program in the future, you will be challenged and guided through the program to leave with as much knowledge as possible.