Two years on from welcoming its first students in 2021, NMITE (the New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering) is has launched a new bursary initiative and is showcasing the impact it has achieved locally with a supporting campaign entitled Changing Lives.
Launched on 6 November, the campaign aims to encourage aspiring students from or studying in Herefordshire to seize the opportunities available for the September 2024 intake by highlighting the stories of the many lives that have already been changed by NMITE.
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The 30 bursaries offered under the new Life Changer scheme will give local students a unique chance to enter higher education within their own community. Upon acceptance, each student will receive a non-means-tested cash bursary ranging from £7,000 to £10,000, depending on their chosen degree programme, providing them with the launchpad needed to embark on their higher education journey.
Changing Lives will be visible across Herefordshire, generating awareness and engaging with the local community. NMITE will share authentic perspectives and stories from students, staff and industry partners, helping to demonstrate the impact that NMITE has already made in the county.
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‘I am an enormous advocate of social mobility through education and it’s fantastic to see this investment in future talent from NMITE,’ said Robert Halfon, the minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education. ‘This new bursary scheme will help change people’s lives in the local community and beyond, giving them a ladder of opportunity into dynamic and competitive industries.’
‘The Life Changer bursaries are more than just financial support – they are an investment in the future of Herefordshire,’ said James Newby, president and chief executive of NMITE. ‘The generous donors behind our bursaries are not only helping us to foster local talent through education, they are nurturing a skilled workforce right here in our community.
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‘We believe in removing barriers and creating pathways to success,’ he continued. ‘And nothing could be better than using our current student community to tell their compelling stories about the changes and impact NMITE is already achieving.’
These stories will be seen and heard throughout Herefordshire via NMITE’s social channels, including videos on YouTube, and posters displayed by local businesses and supporters, and at local Herefordshire locations and landmarks. The plan is to ensure that everyone locally will have the opportunity to see, hear and read about the difference that NMITE is making and intends to make in the future through the new bursary initiative.
Among those who will be featured is Dan James, a local NMITE student pursuing an MEng degree since 2022. Dan is enthusiastic about the opportunities that NMITE has brought him. ‘NMITE is offering higher education on our doorstep, something I never thought possible growing up,’ he said. ‘The opportunity to connect with local business partners is invaluable – especially for someone like me seeking a career in the area.’
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‘NMITE is attracting students from all around the country, but having this resource on your doorstep for students in Herefordshire is a brilliant thing,’ said Peter Jelf, founder and director of Visicon, which has been an employer partner of NMITE for more than three years. ‘With these bursaries, you don’t have to pay to stay away – it’s just a real win for folks looking to get into engineering in Herefordshire. What initially drew me to NMITE was the way they’re approaching degree-level engineering education. What NMITE are doing differently is embracing the best of both worlds, bringing hands-on, actual project-based engineering to degree-level courses.’
‘NMITE has always had a core mission to create life-changing educational and school opportunities for young people living in studying in Herefordshire, said the Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, who originally conceived the idea of a new higher-education offering in Hereford. ‘That’s just what these new Life Changer bursaries will do. Anyone local who is interested for themselves, for their children or grandchildren should take a look.’
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You can find more information, hear the Changing Lives stories and apply for the bursaries here.