NMITE has launched two bursaries for students in Herefordshire to widen access to degrees in engineering, construction and autonomous robotics.
The package includes the Hereford Bursary and the Autonomous Futures Bursary. Both are aimed at local people who want to study close to home, including school leavers and those seeking a career change.
The Autonomous Futures Bursary is for students who have secured a place on NMITE's Autonomous Robotics MEng. The degree is due to welcome its first intake in September, with expressions of interest now open for the first cohort.
Developed with the British Army, the course is intended to prepare students for work involving autonomous systems and robotics in sectors including defence, logistics and manufacturing.
The Hereford Bursary has a broader scope. It is available to people from Herefordshire applying for undergraduate degrees in Engineering or Construction Management at NMITE, and is also open to applicants for the Autonomous Robotics MEng.
The institution said the funding comes from local donors who want to widen access to technical education and support opportunities in the region. It did not disclose the value of the bursaries.
Local Access
The move reflects a wider effort by the Hereford-based institution to attract students who may not otherwise enter higher education. The bursaries are intended to remove financial barriers that can prevent local residents from taking up places on technical degree courses.
The announcement also links support for access with the institute's expansion into newer subject areas. Alongside its existing engineering teaching, NMITE has been developing courses in construction and robotics as it broadens its offer.
NMITE is a specialist higher education provider focused on engineering and technology. More than 220 students have enrolled to date, with over 90 modules delivered and more than 80 industry partners involved in teaching and learning links.
The institution has also expanded its physical footprint in Hereford. Its operations include a purpose-built campus covering 4,941 square metres, along with student accommodation and a second campus added as it has grown.
Skills Focus
The new robotics degree forms part of a broader push to align technical education with employer demand. The course is designed to give students skills relevant to work with autonomous technologies across a range of industries.
That emphasis on practical outcomes has been central to the institute's model since its launch. NMITE describes its approach as bringing engineering disciplines together and combining technical study with broader workplace and interpersonal skills.
For Herefordshire, the bursaries may also help address a local challenge: retaining talent while giving residents access to specialist degrees that might otherwise require them to move away. The Hereford Bursary is targeted specifically at county residents who may face barriers to entering higher education.
James Newby, chief executive officer of NMITE, said: "From the outset, our ambition was to create a genuinely exciting, high-value engineering degree and make sure local people could access it. These bursaries help turn that ambition into reality, opening the door to a new generation of engineers, regardless of background or stage of life. We are enormously grateful to the generous donors who have made this possible. Their support will change lives."