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Skills
Concept design for the new Skylon Campus
NMITE WELCOMES ITS FIRST SKYLON CAMPUS VISITORS
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Monday August 2 2021 proved to be a big day in the chronicle of the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) with its second campus – Skylon hosting its very first open house event and private sod-turning ceremony. NMITE and build partner Speller Metcalf welcomed local businesses and partners onsite (hosted at the Shell Store, Rotherwas) to experience first-hand the campus plans and educational aspirations for NMITE’s second campus. Notable speakers included Professor Robert Hairstans (CATT Director) and Professor Beverley Gibbs (Chief Academic Officer) who compellingly evidenced student-centric learning, industry partnerships and tackling real world challenges as the keystones qualifying NMITE in educating the next generation of work-ready engineers. In her ceremonial address Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, commented: “The creation of our second campus and the soon to be home of our Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) and Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) starts here, today. This project has been a long time in the making, but this moment signifies breaking ground and project commencement, and is a momentous occasion for all of the NMITE family.” NMITE will welcome their first cohort of Integrated Engineering Undergraduate Master’s Degree students (aptly named as Pioneers) to their city centre Blackfriars Campus on Monday 6 September 2021. Skylon, NMITE’s second campus will house the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) and the Centre for Automated Manufacturing (CAM) and is anticipated to open its doors to NMITE students, September 2022.
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£7 MILLION FUND LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT MORE FLEXIBLE APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sectors including the creative, agriculture and construction industries can now bid for a share of a £7 million fund to support the creation of new flexible apprenticeships. The fund will establish a small number of agencies that will set up new flexi-job apprenticeships so an apprentice can work across a range of projects and with different employers to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to be occupationally competent. The first apprenticeships organised through these agencies are expected to start in early 2022. Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Gillian Keegan, said: “We want to build an apprenticeship system that enables everyone to get the experience and knowledge they require to get the job they want, while ensuring employers have a diverse talent pipeline to meet their skills needs. Our flexi-job apprenticeships will unleash exciting new opportunities in sectors such as the creative industries and construction where employment is increasingly flexible and project-based, while also helping larger organisations to grow starts in their supply chains, levelling up chances for people to build the life they want.” More information can be found here www.gov.uk/guidance/flexi-jobapprenticeship-offer.
Dr Anjana Patel, Pershore College with fellow speakers from the festival
OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRI-TECH OUTLINED IN COLLEGE’S FIRST PUBLIC EVENT SINCE 2020
A range of opportunities in agri-tech were firmly set out when Pershore College opened its doors for the first time in 15 months to members of the region’s farming and horticultural community. The varied programme of industry speakers made the case for businesses and investors to get involved in this fast-growing sector in the first event of a new two-part festival. Organised by the GrowAgri Worcestershire project, a Festival of Horticultural Technology aims to highlight the importance of advances in the digital and mechanical spheres that can achieve better and more sustainable food production systems. Topics included green energy solutions, carbon off-setting, financial incentives and the need for advances in agri-tech to drive the region’s business growth. Event organiser, Dr Anjana Patel, Agri-Tech Research Assistant at Pershore College, said: “It was great to have the opportunity to catch up with our GrowAgri community again and meet new business owners in a face-to-face setting. The evening provided a fantastic introduction into the different types of agricultural technologies that will help to improve food security, reduce waste, lower carbon emissions and improve efficiency.” The second part of a Festival of Horticultural Technology takes place on Thursday 30 September, 9.30am – 4pm and will feature a line-up of industry speakers plus a range of companies will be showcasing the latest in hydroponic technologies. For more information about the Festival of Horticultural Technology go to www.wcg.ac.uk/horticultural-festival or to get involved email growagri@wcg.ac.uk.
