Dr. Steve Mackay is the founder of the Engineering Institute of Technology. He firmly believes in Nelson Mandela’s mantra that, “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” His leadership has inspired EIT’s unique and distinctive approach to engineering education.

Since 2008 three core objectives define the essence of the institute:

Collaborating comprehensively with industry to ensure graduates are job-ready.
Employing platforms of learning to facilitate student accessibility and engagement.
Keeping the business of education student-centric.

Dr. Mackay has enjoyed a varied career in engineering, having worked in automation, data acquisition, instrumentation, data communications, and process control throughout Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America over the past 35 years. He has successfully pioneered the application of new technologies in Australia and overseas, installing industrial data communication systems and implementing live online education, (including remote laboratories), for engineering students worldwide. Dr. Mackay has been involved in a range of industries, including power stations, mining, mineral processing, oil/gas/petrochemical plants, and platforms. He has presented courses on industrial data communications, data acquisition, instrumentation, and process control to over 30,000 engineers and technicians worldwide for clients such as NASA, Rolls Royce, and BP. He has also co-authored and edited 25 engineering books that have been published across the world. Dr. Mackay is a Fellow of Engineers Australia with a license to practice as a Chemical, Mechanical, and Electrical Chartered Professional Engineer. As Dean of the Engineering Institute of Technology, Dr. Mackay leads the institute in providing microcredentials and engineering qualifications to over 2000 students per year from 140 countries. He has an unswerving focus on student outcomes and on excellence in education.

Engineers are helping the blind ‘see’ fireworks

December 4, 2017 4:03 pm
It is almost that time of the year again, the moment that sees out the old and welcomes in the new, on New Year’s Eve. In the seconds that take 23:59 in 2017 to 00:00 in 2018, bursts of fiery light will appear in the night skies around the world...Read More

An EIT presentation at the Second Annual TEQSA Conference

December 4, 2017 12:41 pm
The conference focus this year: Students, Quality and Success, ran over three days, from the 29th November to the 1st December 2017 and was attended by 800 delegates, of which almost 100 were higher education students. Steve Mackay, our Dean, and Caroline Patterson, our Compliance and Accreditation Manager, were selected...Read More

The civil engineering endeavors of the world’s most powerful man

November 23, 2017 10:08 am
The world’s most powerful man’s house was built by a woman. A new documentary is attempting to make sense of the unorthodox and unexpected trajectory of Donald Trump; a complicated story of a man who went from property mogul to President of the United States. After inheriting the family business,...Read More

Automated check-in systems debuted at Singapore airport

November 23, 2017 9:51 am
Singapore’s Changi Airport recently unveiled the airport terminal of the future; their brand new Terminal 4 with a fully automated check-in system.   ICM Airport Technics, a global leader in airport technology solutions, are at the forefront of transforming airport terminals and their hybrid technology was installed in the new...Read More

Is the increasing diversity in engineering teams necessarily a negative?

November 23, 2017 9:39 am
Working in a team is always challenging. With the increasing mobility of engineers and of people in general this is making team work even tougher. Engineering companies are inevitably employing professionals from an array of nations, creeds and walks of life. Most groups - let alone those with a broad...Read More

Out with the old and in with the new organization

November 23, 2017 8:58 am
Henry Petroski, an engineer who has specialized in failure analysis, and has written a dozen or so books on the subject, once said: “Failure is central to engineering. Every single calculation that an engineer makes is a failure calculation. Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.”...Read More

A dire situation for engineers-in-training in Zimbabwe

November 20, 2017 2:43 pm
Zimbabwe could be at the dawn of a political revolution. It could also be business as usual. Amid a confusing week of political spring cleaning in the country, students working towards attaining qualifications in the tertiary sector have spoken out, painting a truly dire picture. A few days ago BBC...Read More

Artificial intelligence: 10 ways society will change by 2050

November 15, 2017 8:42 am
Leading Australian artificial intelligence scientist Professor Toby Walsh is warning that we are "sleepwalking" into an AI future in which billions of machines and computers will be able to think. Professor Walsh, from the University of New South Wales, is calling for a national discussion about whether society needs to adopt...Read More

Are you really an engineer?

November 14, 2017 3:03 pm
Whilst optimized curriculum vitae look good, professional licensing also speaks volumes to employers. But is the professional engineering status necessary? Can you call yourself an engineer without the formal designation of Professional Engineer?   In the fourth industrial revolution, with automation replacing many repetitive roles, a more fluid and dynamic...Read More

Engineering jobs of the future PLUS EIT's Sundowner session

November 14, 2017 9:11 am
The New Generation for Engineering Education! We have two FREE sessions coming up in November and we would love for you to join us if you are contemplating studying either online or on-campus to help advance your engineering career. The first session is our Sundowner Info Session held at our...Read More

Autonomous, self-balancing, competitive motorcycles now a reality

November 13, 2017 3:57 pm
Yahama is taking self-driving cars a step further: self-driving motorbikes. Meet MOTOBOT, a motorbike driving robot that has been engineered to surpass humans; to beat them at their own sport.   After months of trial and error, the engineers at Yamaha were ready to pit their self-driving robot against a...Read More

Industrial Automation - What is it and why is everyone talking about it?

November 11, 2017 1:25 pm
The demand for technicians, technologists and engineers in industrial automation, instrumentation and process control is growing rapidly. Why? Because when automation is introduced into industry, production becomes much more efficient and cost effective. Consider the needs of employees: They need training They get sick They receive wages They go home...Read More

Australian showdown: TAFE vs University

November 7, 2017 9:51 am
Higher education institutions were delivered a few body blows last week. Proponents of TAFE (technical and further education) - the leading provider for vocational education and training courses in Australia - delivered the verbal battering. According to ABC News, a number of courses have been cut and campuses closed down,...Read More

Ancient engineering: The Lighthouse of Alexandria

November 7, 2017 9:43 am
The methods used by the architects and engineers in the ancient world often remain mysterious and enigmatic. How the Great Pyramids of Giza were built, for example, still manage to stump engineers and other experts from around the world.   Neither the tools nor the techniques used to construct these...Read More

New laser scanner detects cancer in 30 seconds

November 7, 2017 9:26 am
The fight against cancer continues.  Biomedical engineers have announced a new skin cancer diagnosis tool that will identify cancers in up to 30 seconds. Presently, a dermatologist needs to remove potentially malignant skin from a patient and send it away for testing to assess whether or not the skin is...Read More

Engineers discover void in Great Pyramid

November 7, 2017 9:20 am
The Great Pyramids of Giza are a complex of ancient monuments dating back to 2,000 BCE. They have taken their rightful place as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; monuments that reflect astonishing ancient engineering skill and precise architecture. The pyramids are also the last of the...Read More

China’s mark on engineering widens in new Presidential agenda

November 7, 2017 9:04 am
President Xi Jinping of China has earned official recognition as the Communist Party’s leader. An honor bestowed last to Mao Zedong and his successor Hua Guofeng. This means that the leader has garnered the utmost respect of all members within the party.   Xi Jinping can therefore put his recently...Read More

3D Printing proves promising for amputees

October 31, 2017 9:40 am
3D printing – the possibilities really are endless of where this technology can take us in the future. An example of this is with Peter Armstrong, a mechanical engineering student from Colorado who was inspired by a family friend who underwent a double amputation to the lower limbs. Through years...Read More

Global dropout crisis: How data and innovation can help

October 30, 2017 12:52 pm
Attrition rates are a bone of contention within tertiary education institutions. There is an inevitable desire to deny that the number of students dropping out of courses is too high, let alone rising. Students, wherever they obtain the money, invest it into gaining qualifications; the key they believe, to establishing...Read More

Blockchain technology could change energy forever

October 26, 2017 11:27 am
Imagine a world where energy is available to all, distributed through a robust system of transmission lines, with a meter system so accurate that it charges consumers for the power  they need, but also allows them to sell excess energy to other consumers. It is becoming more technically complex for...Read More

A life well lived – Dick Morley

October 26, 2017 9:40 am
Back in 2008, when we were expanding from a company providing courses for professional development into a fully-fledged college of engineering, Dick was not only an enormous support, but his involvement contributed to the success we enjoyed.  He was hearty in his encouragement of our efforts and he shared his...Read More

The engineering behind Scotland’s floating turbine farm

October 24, 2017 4:08 pm
Scotland’s world-first offshore ‘floating’ turbine farm has begun producing energy. 20,000 homes on the mainland will be receiving power from this renewable energy source.   The operation has been constructed in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In a world first the wind turbines have been placed further out to sea than...Read More

Higher Education & Training Minister Unseated in South Africa How will this Effect Private Institutions?

October 19, 2017 4:10 pm
Another two steps back for higher education in South Africa. President Jacob Zuma has once again shuffled the members of his cabinet; the second shuffle of ministerial position holders this year. Earlier in the year, the Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande survived the cut, however, this time he wasn’t...Read More

Science Fiction Engineering: an Academy is Launched

October 19, 2017 1:32 pm
Cue the X-Files music. “When it comes to shaping the future, one of the greatest obstacles you have is your mind.” These were the words of Steve Justice, the Head of the Aerospace Department of the ‘To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science’. Never heard of it? Well, that’s...Read More

Eliminating the Monotony of Engineering

October 19, 2017 11:36 am
Being an engineer is by no means a boring job. However, most people will refer to their jobs similarly, that ‘work is work’; that it often involves a daily grind, a slog which is sometimes repetitive and monotonous. Remarks delivered on a social forum for engineers also suggest the monotony...Read More

Keeping STEM Progressive

October 18, 2017 1:27 pm
The future of technology and world class education hinges on the ability of universities to continue to provide a premium higher education experience. Their curricula need to be aligned closely to the demands of the world more than ever before. According to University World News, Zimbabwe has warned their universities...Read More

Post-graduate internships under intense scrutiny

October 16, 2017 12:56 pm
Internships provide the opportunity for a prospective professional to gain the work experience needed in the industry they are aiming to work in. Internships enable students or workers to gain the work experience that is being sought after by employers. Adding ‘work experience’ to the curriculum vitae is an invaluable...Read More

Hurricane Harvey: Engineering industries confront the flooding and infrastructure needs for the future

October 16, 2017 12:49 pm
Friday night (the 25th of August) a tropical storm hit Texas in the United States of America. 60cm of rain fell overnight (23 inches) with a total of 50 inches expected before the week was out. Whether or not Texas’ drainage system is able to deal with the volume of...Read More

The NZ Pipeline Disaster

October 16, 2017 12:41 pm
Pipelines. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. It is rumored that approximately three years ago a swamp kauri mining operation led to the damage of the Ruakaka-Auckland Pipeline (RAP) in New Zealand. Swamp kauri has 50,000 year old trees that have been perfectly preserved under swamp peat. The...Read More

EIT introduces live, online learning to the next generation of engineers

October 16, 2017 12:26 pm
The youngest future engineer EIT encountered at the expo was a boy of fourteen who told us that he had an affinity for Mechanical Engineering. The most sought after qualifications were Electric Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil and Structural Engineering.   A handful of students expressed their desires to build...Read More