Who: The Engineering Leadership Professional Program (ELPP) is designed for top performing engineers, scientists and engineering managers who are seeking to develop professional and leadership skills to contribute to their companies at a higher level.

Program participants include top performer engineering professionals nominated by their companies and outstanding self-nominated individuals. Current ELPP participants come from top-name Silicon Valley firms, including Applied Materials, Cisco, Facebook, Lam Research, National Semiconductor, NetApp, and Yahoo!.

What: UC Berkeley offers two tracks for professional leadership education: business leadership (through the MBA program) and engineering leadership. The traditional MBA may not be the best option for engineers and scientists seeking to advance within a technical career or within R&D management. The UC Berkeley Engineering Leadership Professional Program is intended to increase professional skills for Silicon Valley's top technical talent. The program is also compact for working professionals and can be completed in approximately six months in weekly three-hour evening sessions.

After completing the program, participants will be better prepared to:

• Expertly manage technical teams,
• Influence top-level strategy as a technical lead or senior manager,
• Amplify the inherent value of R&D.

Hear what other program participants have experienced:

Why Participate?

Transformative Experience

Professional Application

Why: A critical issue for Silicon Valley firms is the competitiveness of their talented technical staff and leading innovators. As high performers are promoted within engineering and technical marketing roles, many require a rounding out of their skill sets to function as both engineers and leaders.

According to U.C. Berkeleyís Fung Institute Chief Scientist and ELPP Program Curriculum Architect, Professor Ikhlaq Sidhu, "if a companyís top engineers do not possess these critical bridging skills, the company can suffer the symptoms of engineering without leadership, including organizational indecision about new products and services; disagreements between product management and engineering; delayed and halted projects; reduced R&D productivity; poor technology strategies, team morale and retention issues; and overall poor competitive performance."

When: This focused program for working professionals and can be completed in approximately six months in weekly three-hour evening sessions, typically on Mondays. The next session of this innovative program will begin in January 2012, with applications accepted beginning July 1, 2011.

Where: Classes take place in Silicon Valley at the centrally-located TechMart at 5200 Great America Parkway in Santa Clara.

Sound interesting? If you represent a corporation interested in participating in our next program, please contact kgatto@berkeley.edu.

• Blog: U.C. Berkeley Professor Ikhlaq Sidhu, Chief Scientist, Fung Institute and ELPP Program Curriculum Architect
• Tech IndustryManagers: Little Men in Big Shoes? from TechCrunch.