Up to £15m funding over three years for New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMiTE)

• NMiTE will train up the next generation of engineers, providing the skills that employers need
• All courses co-created with employers, with 6-12 month integrated work placements

Up to £15 million of new funding to help support the establishment of a new ‘greenfield’ university in Herefordshire specialising in high-quality engineering courses.
The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership today welcomed the investment in the New Model in Technology & Enterprise (NMiTE), announced by Universities Minister Jo Johnson.
NMiTE aims to address the growing need for engineering talent in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and cyber-security.
It is taking a radical approach to training the next generation of engineers, including having a 50:50 gender balance target, 6 – 12 month integrated work placements, and recruiting graduates from non-traditional backgrounds. It will also offer accelerated degrees, meaning students can complete their degrees in two years.
The funding, which relies on the project meeting a set of milestones and criteria, will be used to develop the faculty, campus and curriculum, creating a new institution to draw talent to Hereford from the UK and beyond. NMiTE will increase the number of engineering graduates and professionals, addressing a vital skills gap in the economy.
The Marches LEP will also part-fund the university’s development, subject to the project meeting similar assurance criteria.
Graham Wynn, Chairman of the Marches LEP, said: “NMiTE is a pioneering approach to training the next generation of engineers and we very much welcome this additional funding.
“We have worked closely with the team leading NMiTE, and our partners at Herefordshire Council, to progress this project which could be a trail-blazer for technical higher education providers.”
NMiTE will work closely with University of Warwick and employers including QinetiQ and Heineken on the design of the curriculum, producing graduates who are ready for the demands of the job market.
Universities Minister Jo Johnson said: “New innovative higher education providers such as NMiTE will play an important part in educating the next generation of much-needed engineers, providing the skills and talent that employers need.
“Our reforms are about giving all young people access to university and an increasingly diverse market to choose from. This will ensure a steady stream of highly-skilled graduates into the workplace, meeting the needs of business and boosting the British economy.”
Today’s announcement builds on plans set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy which aims to improve living standards and economic growth by increasing productivity and driving growth across the whole country.
Engineering graduate supply currently falls significantly short of demand. Engineering UK estimates a shortfall of at least 20,000 annually.
NMiTE will take its first cohort of students in September 2020, with development cohorts in 2018 and 2019.