Balfour Beatty today announces that it has partnered with the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) - a new and innovative Higher Education Institution that is revolutionising engineering degree education in the UK.
Based in Hereford, NMITE has designed its curriculum to mirror real-world working environments with students engaged in projects to enhance their practical experience, arming them with critical skills and industry knowledge.
With an innovative accelerated degree programme and more flexible entry requirements which includes no prerequisites of Maths or Physics at A-level - this is embedded within the curriculum and students are taught what they need to know - the forward-thinking institution opens the doors for a broader and more diverse range of students to pursue careers in engineering.
Currently comprising 60 students, NMITE has ambitious plans to grow its student body to approximately 300 by 2027, having received vital funding from the UK Government in 2017.
Through the partnership, Balfour Beatty will actively contribute to the NMITE curriculum, ensuring a seamless integration of industry expertise with academia. The collaboration will see the company provide industrial placements for students on some of Balfour Beatty’s most exciting and inspiring projects across the UK, as well as host seminars that provide technical insights into the construction and infrastructure industry.
Paul Raby, Balfour Beatty Group HR Director said: "We are thrilled to join forces with NMITE and contribute to their ground-breaking approach to engineering education. By combining our industry expertise with NMITE's innovative curriculum, we can empower the next generation of engineers to excel in practical skills and meet the evolving demands of the construction industry.
“With this partnership, we can open doors for a diverse range of young people to enter the construction industry by catering to a variety of learning abilities that equips students with a well-rounded skillset.”
James Newby, Chief Executive at NMITE, comments: “Our breakthrough, interdisciplinary model of higher education involves, at every stage, engagement with employer partners and work on real life projects. What better experience for our students to have than to hone their skills with a partner of the calibre of Balfour Beatty? Joining forces with this leading international group will be another fundamental part of shaping tomorrow’s engineers so that students leave NMITE not only work ready but as true game changers.”
This latest partnership is a further example of Balfour Beatty’s commitment to attracting the next generation of talent, with 6.5% of the company’s UK workforce now made up of Apprentices, Graduates, Trainees and Sponsored Students as part of its membership of The 5% Club – a dynamic movement of employers committed to providing ‘Earn & Learn’ positions.
ENDS
Media enquiries to:
Vivienne Dunn
Balfour Beatty
+44 (0)203 810 2345
vivienne.dunn@balfourbeatty.com
www.balfourbeatty.com | follow us @balfourbeatty
All non-media related enquiries should be directed to +44 (0)20 7216 6800 or info@balfourbeatty.com
Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with over 25,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.
- We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.
- Over the last 114 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world. Currently, we are working to deliver Hinkley Point C, the first UK nuclear power station in a generation; constructing the world-class arts and cultural facility, the Lyric Theatre, in Hong Kong; and designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the Automated People Mover superstructure at the fifth busiest airport in the world, Los Angeles International Airport.
- Balfour Beatty is committed to creating an environment where all our employees can be themselves at work and perform at their best. With a number of major infrastructure projects in the pipeline, Balfour Beatty aims to meet current and future skills demand by attracting and retaining the best available talent and is committed to removing the barriers to minority groups across the industry to widen the talent pool.
About NMITE:
- NMITE’s vision is to deliver a different model of higher education, developing work-ready, talented engineers and leaders in technology innovation. It aims to recruit a diverse cohort, including learners who may not have considered engineering as a career. NMITE’s curriculum brings the engineering and technology disciplines together and integrates the liberal arts and the interpersonal skills needed by today’s employers to tackle the world’s problems. The educational approach of NMITE is to apply a student-centric learning methodology with a curriculum fuelled by real-world challenges, meaning that the approach is distinctive in the marketplace and attracts a different sort of engineering learner.
- NMITE was inaugurated on 19 October 2018, was listed in the register of English higher education providers by the Office for Students (OfS) in August 2020 and in November 2020 received validation by The Open University, the UK’s largest academic institution and a world leader in flexible distance learning. There are now three student cohorts progressing through NMITE’s distinctive Integrated Engineering degree courses, as well as an expanding portfolio of innovative and industry-relevant degrees and short courses. Its estate continues to expand, with the addition of the purpose-built Skylon Campus and new student accommodation, providing space for the growing student and staff population. NMITE is also home to the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) with a strategic mission set by industry to, “stimulate collaboration across the industry, together with showing a wider audience how rewarding a career in timber can be.”
