Engineering firm Dyson has announced it will launch a new STEM-focused academic centre in an effort to tackle the country’s growing skills shortage.
Set to open in autumn 2017, the Dyson Institute of Technology will be based at the company’s campus in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. It will operate in partnership with Warwick University, initially offering four-year engineering degrees to 25 students a year, alongside a full-time role with Dyson. Lectures will take place largely on the campus, taught by professors from the University of Warwick as well as Dyson engineers.
“The Dyson Institute of Technology will not only offer students the chance to study on cutting-edge, degree-level programmes, it will also play a vital role in educating the next generation of much needed engineers,” said universities minister Jo Johnson.
James Dyson was inspired to invest in the institute after a meeting with Johnson, where it was suggested the inventor and engineer take action himself to bolster the number of UK engineers. The £15m Institute is Dyson’s response, and aims to help the UK compete with other nations who are currently leading the charge in engineering.
“We are competing globally with Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore,” said Dyson. “It’s all the major technology nations and we have got to be better than them.”
“It is a problem in America and Europe and has started to become a problem in Japan. It seems that the fast-growing economies or emerging nations really recognise the value of engineering, but when you reach security there is less interest in what makes you successful.”
Potential candidates for the Institute will need at least AAB at A Level or equivalent (340 UCAS points), including an A grade in both Mathematics and at least one other STEM-related subject. The course will involve no tuition fees, and participants will be paid a ‘competitive’ salary over the four years. Students will also be eligible for the staff bonus scheme and discounts.
Additional information on the programme and how to apply can be found here.
This is an excellent initiative. Well done James Dyson.
Amazing. Just what we need, some higher-level apprenticeships and degrees.
A great project. About time this happened, typically James Dyson leading the way. I remember the days of most major companies offering apprenticeships with training schools or/and support for off site learning. The integration of todays engineering disciplines demands both practical and academic knowledge which this initiative will clearly enable.
Let’s hope many other large groups follow this example.
Excellent news and as a former resident of Malmesbury I know what a delightful part of the world it is. I enjoyed my telecoms courses at C&W, who also ran their own graduate training college very successfully at Porthcurno, Cornwall, for many years. That college is also associated with, and now located in, the University of Warwick, which has perhaps provided a model for Dyson Engineering. The selected students will be very fortunate in all respects and I wish them all great success in their careers with a great British company.
I wish I was starting to learn engineering again. This is a win, win,win situation for students, Dyson and this country. Well done James
We desperately need more like James Dyson. Guess the large conglomerates will be slow to respond as their main concern is bean counters short term vision and shareholders profits.
Maybe Mr Dyson could also invest in some UK factories for all his great sucking and blowing inventions and create hundreds instead of dozens of local jobs. I remember not so long ago he sacked all his UK production staff and moved it all to China.
“Dog with a bone springs” to mind! Drop…DROP….
By doing so he preserved an awful lot of skilled UK jobs for the future, world-leading research and design skills, the intellectual property and ownership of the company (indeed probably the very existence of it) for the UK by doing that. Thank goodness we have far sighted people like James Dyson who are willing to take the tough decisions, stand by them and see things through for the ultimate benefit of everyone.
Great news ~ the SME companies are leading the way with this incentive ~ the only comment is from our apprentice / graduates is that they have to share courses with non-apprentice Engineering Graduates who are way behind in experience and could hold back these guys who are gaining both high level technical & practical knowledge from experienced engineers who are actually doing the job already.