IN a move that it hopes will reap benefits from an expected construction boom in the western end of the island, B&B University College will, starting next school year, offer master’s programmes in construction project management, facilities management and quantity surveying.

The programmes will be offered at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in conjunction with Heriot-Watt University in Scotland with which the local institution has forged a partnership.

Classes will be facilitated by leading practitioners in the field, including past president of the Incorporated Master Builders Association of Jamaica Raymond Cooper.

In endorsing the programme, Cooper said: “We welcome any institution that will provide an avenue for the increase of professionalism in the construction industry.”

B & B hopes that the knowledge gained from the new programmes — all of which will feature a research project based on the assessment of actual construction — will facilitate an improvement in the cost-effectiveness of construction projects.

“This allows participants to appreciate the significance of new concepts, deepen their understanding of best practices and apply new techniques to obtain better results in their daily work,” the institution said in a release.

Matriculation into the programme is not restricted to holders of bachelor’s degrees, as those with diplomas and relevant experience are also eligible.

Heriot-Watt University, which originated in 1821, was rated in 2011 among the top 10 per cent of universities worldwide, among the top 25 in the United Kingdom and number one in Scotland for construction courses. Its courses are professionally accredited by bodies such as the Chartered Institution of Builders and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.