Main activities:

Developing new generation of boatbuiders

Developing expertise in R&D: Competence Centre for Small Craft Engineering

Developing new generation of boatbuiders

Kuressaare Regional Training Centre (RTC) is an educational institution, located also on the island of Saaremaa. RTC is the only vocational school in Estonia training boat builders. It has opened a three-year vocational training programme in Small Vessel Building for basic-school graduates. The studies and training include 60 weeks of special training modules, 20 weeks of industrial placement, and 40 weeks of general secondary education courses. The graduates wishing to obtain higher education can continue their studies at Kuressaare College of Tallinn University of Technology.

Kuressaare College of Tallinn University of Technology

Geographically, Kuressaare College, founded on the island of Saaremaa (Ösel) in 1999, is the remotest and smallest of the four colleges of Tallinn University of Technology. The predecessor of the college was the Institute for Islands Development, founded in January 1991. Kuressaare College has been an integrated part of Tallinn University of Technology with its own board, curricula and students for 10 years. The College has about 170 undergraduate students and a staff of 13 people.

The mission of the College is to train specialists in the fields needed first of all on Estonian islands: Small Business Management, Tourism and Catering Management, Engineering including Electronic Systems and IT. In 2009 the College opened a new pilot curriculum – Small Craft Building and is now the only applied higher educational institution offering such training in Estonia.

After 3-4 years of studies the graduates get the diploma of Tallinn University of Technology. The modern learning environment and new opportunities have brought here young people from all over Estonia.

Small Craft Building Programme at Kuressaare College In September 2009 Kuressaare College of Tallinn University of Technology in co-operation with Estonian Maritime Academy opened a pilot course in Small Craft Building for a group of 20 people working in the sector in order to test a new curriculum and prepare the opening of a regular programme (duration of studies 4 years, 240 ETCs) in the autumn of 2010.

Curriculum Objectives:

  • to create prerequisites for obtaining professional qualification level 6 in European Qualifications Framework in Small Craft Building;
  • to inculcate future Small Craft Building engineers with understanding the role and importance of education in the rapidly changing social and economic environment;
  • to equip students with knowledge and skills required for being able to design and build modern yachts, launches and other types of small craft (with a max. length of 24 m) made of wood, plastic or metal that meet the requirements of marine safety;
  • to equip students with skills required for application of the fundamentals and know-how of science and materials science, design, organisation of production, and economics towards creation and management of environmentally sustainable technological solutions in small craft building;
  • to inculcate and develop systemic understanding of the fundamentals of shipbuilding, of the methods for analysis, synthesis and problem-solving applied in field-related design and engineering activities as well as purposes of application;
  • to provide broad and varied knowledge and skills (inc. computer literacy and communication skills) creating a basis towards becoming a qualified professional engineer and enabling them to meet the professional requirements set for small craft building engineers at present and in the future, as well as making it possible to respond flexibly and adequately to the technological changes and needs in the small craft building sector as well as in the society;
  • to guide and support independent learning and experimenting of students; to encourage their strive for a continuous professional development;
  • to stimulate the creativity, ability to critically assess their work and to inculcate cooperation and teamwork skills through varied teaching methods and assignments:
  • to ensure that the knowledge and skills obtained prepare students for working as a process manager, production manager and/or a designer in a water craft manufacture plant.

Curriculum modules:

  1. General studies/ Languages
  2. Social sciences
  3. Fundamentals of Technological Sciences
  4. Information & Communication Technology and Electronics
  5. Materials
  6. Production
  7. Business Management
  8. Power Devices
  9. Practical Small Craft Building
  10. Practical Training in Small Craft Building Industry
  11. Small Craft Design
  12. Small Craft Theory and Technology
  13. Graduation Thesis

Developing expertise in R&D: Competence Centre for Small Craft Engineering

The regional Competence Centre for Small Craft Engineering is currently being established. It is going to be located in Kuressaare, Saaremaa Island to facilitate the creation of a basis for developing internationally recognised and competitive small craft engineering in Estonia. The Competence Centre is attached to Kuressaare College of Tallinn University of Technology. TUT Kuressaare College forms the core of the future centre, leading and coordinating the work of the Centre.

The main task and function of the prepared Competence Centre is bringing and accumulation into the region of professional engineering expertise and ICT-solutions-based know-how in small craft engineering. These measures are meant to support the development of knowledge-based industrial production in the small craft engineering industry sector, to facilitate growth in export volume, and to help extend application of electronic systems in small craft engineering, to make it possible to train more engineers and to develop the Island of Saaremaa into an internationally recognised R&D centre of small craft engineering.

The Competence Centre has been set the following tasks: concentration and developing of engineering and technological skills in the region and their transfer to enterprises; building of a modern work environment with the support services required for creation and advancement of engineering and technological competence and strengthening of cross-sector cooperation. These actions are aimed towards creation of an internationally recognised centre for sharing competency and expertise in small craft engineering.

Centres’ Focus

Linking expertise in ICT and electronic systems with product development in small craft engineering is going to create potential for emerging of new innovative intelligent energy-efficient control systems and products. In materials development, the focus is on application of natural materials in lamination technology, which may in small craft engineering but even in other sectors resorting to similar production technologies result in production and use of fully recoverable plastic materials. The theme of materials development and development of electronic control systems can be divided into two broad areas: energy conservation and sustainability of the environment (e.g., application of organic composite materials for small craft building, and systems for controlling optimal and economical use of energy on small craft) and intelligent control systems (e.g., integration of control devices; embedded systems on small craft, etc.).

The infrastructure of the Competence Centre is planned to be composed of training workshop facilities for small craft engineering, the study premises and electronics laboratory of TUT Kuressaare College as well as of the production facilities and equipment of small craft building enterprises. The activities of the Competence Centre are to enhance the operation of the Estonian small craft engineering sector as a whole and facilitate also international cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and on the B7 islands. Also, the Competence Centre is to coordinate and participate in international cooperation and development projects.