In 1985, the National Technical Teachers Training College (NTTTC) and the Technical education unit of the Ministry of Education conducted a manpower survey in Sri Lanka, which revealed that the ratio of chartered engineers to incorporated engineers was 1:3. The survey established that a developing country’s ratio requirement of chartered engineers to incorporated engineers to technicians should be 1:5:20. The authorities realized that although adequate numbers of chartered engineers and technicians were being produced, there was a void between these two levels in the profession. Therefore steps were taken to bridge this gap by introducing a program to produce professionals who were competent in both technical and vocational skills. The Higher National Diploma in Engineering (HNDE) course, conducted under the Business and Technological Education Council (BTEC), UK, was altered according to Sri Lanka’s requirement by professors at Bolton University, UK, and introduced as a pilot program in Sri Lanka in 1986. This was the birth of HNDE here in Sri Lanka.
The HNDE is currently administered by the Engineering division of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), which is under the Ministry of Higher Education. The course duration is 3.5 years, including six months in plant training. Five courses are offered by the institute of HNDE under three main departments.Each field has several options and students are given the opportunity to specialize in their chosen option Engineering is not just a career. It is a driving force in society. As a trained engineer you will be leading major changes in lives which are brought about by advances in technology. Engineers are innovators, designers & managers of these advances.
Meanwhile the diploma ensures the computer knowledge of our students which has a extensive computer laboratory with sufficient number of computers. The computer laboratory provides students with various facilities including Internet. A well equipped library provides lending , reference and study facilities for students and staff. There is a vast collection of books in engineering sector as well in other related fields.
