New skills hub to train engineers of the future
An innovative centre training the skilled engineers of the future is ready to take its next expansion step.
The New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford has received £10 million of support so far from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership to help it revolutionise the way engineering degrees are taught in the UK.
With applications now open for the 2024 intake, NMITE is looking to the future and has applied for planning permission to build a new skills hub at its city centre campus.
The campus is based in a former Edwardian school, and the new plans would see a disused toilet block demolished and replaced with a single storey, flexible teaching space designed for the 21st century.
NMITE also has a purpose-built site in the Skylon Park commercial district on the edge of Hereford.
The new skills hub, which has attracted £2 million of government funding, would be finished in handmade grey-brown ceramic tiles, with a red zinc roof. It will link to the existing building, on the corner of Blackfriars Street and Widemarsh Street, via a courtyard.
If planning permission is approved, construction could start later this year.
NMITE aims to revolutionise university education and deliver career-ready graduates with the skills to start work in the engineering sector. It offers bachelor and master’s degrees in integrated engineering and sustainable built environment, as well as short courses.
It promises small group, hands-on teaching without formal lectures and traditional exams, working on real-world projects in conjunction with partner employers. Teaching is from 9-5 to leave weekends and evenings free, and applicants from all academic backgrounds are welcome. All first year students are offered accommodation in new city centre halls of residence.
For more information about what NMITE can offer, visit www.nmite.ac.uk/