ONE of the things that differentiates the innovative engineering degree course developed by Herefordshire’s New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMiTE) is the way it will provide students with ‘real world’ learning experiences – they’ll learn by solving problems and undertaking projects as well as by completing a six-month industrial placement.

Engineering employers have helped us shape the curriculum in this way to ensure that it addresses their needs. Now, as we move forward, we’re recruiting them, UK-wide, to become even more closely involved as Corporate Partners. We’re asking them to support us financially, to provide these ‘real world’ problems for the classroom, to offer internships, to help us mould the industry-specific sectors of the curriculum – and, we hope, ultimately to employ our graduates!

So, imagine how thrilled we were when, in late summer 2016, HEINEKEN UK in Herefordshire became the first to sign up to the scheme.

The NMiTE team will be working with Cider Plant Manager Alexander Brinkerink and Site Engineering Manager Adam Spencer as we develop the framework for the Agri-Engineering and Food Production sector.

After an initial meeting last year to talk about their role, we’re now getting down to the hard work of translating their engineering graduate needs into the curriculum guidelines.

We’re delighted to be involving such close partners here in Herefordshire at the vanguard of an initiative which will extend to our other industrial sectors – Manufacturing and Advanced Manufacturing; Big Data, Cyber Engineering and Resources Security; Green, Renewable, Smart Living and Cities.

Over the next three years, as the university develops, we’ll be looking for more than 20 Corporate Partners to follow HEINEKEN UK’s lead and to involve themselves in helping to develop highly employable graduates for their own industry sector. So, to find out how to become a Corporate Partner visit: www.nmite.org.uk/corporate-partners/.