Based in Hereford, NMiTE (New Model in Technology & Engineering) will aim to play a prominent role in developing the next generation of engineers, focusing on sectors such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and cyber-security. The new university will seek to recruit graduates from non-traditional backgrounds, with a target of 25 per cent of its student intake supported with bursaries and scholarships.
NMiTE will also aim to address the gender gap by promoting a 50:50 gender split, and the exact level of financial support will depend on the project delivering on particular milestones and criteria.
“With this terrific investment from the government we are now ready for lift-off,” said NMiTE founding president and chief executive professor Janusz Kozinski. “We will be totally reimagining and redesigning the higher education experience for the young people who will create Britain’s future.”
“If Britain is to lead the next industrial revolution, driven by artificial intelligence, driverless cars and 4D printing, we need to educate young people to be pioneers and creators. We need to give them the confidence to think beyond their textbooks, the freedom to be daring, and the tenacity to turn ideas into new products, new companies and even entirely new industries.”
Government funding will be used to develop the faculty, campus and curriculum, with the latter drawn up in collaboration with Warwick University, as well as companies that include Qinetiq and Heineken. Before graduation, students will undergo mandatory 6-12 month work placements with employers. NMiTE will also offer accelerated degrees, meaning students can complete their degrees in two years with 46 weeks of teaching per annum.
“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,” said universities minister Jo Johnson.
“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.”
NMiTE will take its first cohort of students in September 2020, with development cohorts in 2018 and 2019.
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