A first for Herefordshire which delivers even more value for NMITE’s Herefordshire “home-grown” engineers
NMITE has secured accreditation from The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for its BEng and MEng Integrated Engineering degrees – an exceptional achievement and the first of its kind for a Herefordshire-based institution.
This is a major national milestone that has an impact on NMITE students and graduates, its team as well as local employers and supporters. IET accreditation is one of the most rigorous external validations available to engineering degrees in the UK, confirming that NMITE’s programmes meet the highest standards of quality, technical excellence and professional relevance.
It represents a powerful endorsement of NMITE’s distinctive model of education – demonstrating that innovation in teaching can match, and exceed, traditional approaches in delivering world-class outcomes.
The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions, with over 157,000 professionals in 148 countries. It awards accreditation only to programmes that meet the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), as set out in the Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes (AHEP). NMITE’s accredited status is now formally recognised on both the IET and Engineering Council UK databases.
For NMITE students and graduates, the implications are profound. Their degrees are now formally recognised by the engineering profession and provide a direct pathway towards Chartered Engineer status.
Commenting on the achievement, NMITE’s President & Chief Executive, James Newby said: “This news has genuine life-changing potential for our diverse intake of students. Gaining a degree accredited by the IET sets them on a path to Chartered Engineer status and that means they will be respected professionals with a life of professional fulfilment and economic security. For all of our students, particularly our cohort of Hereford based homegrown engineers, this is a really big deal, proving that studying in Hereford can open up a world of opportunity.”
Jesse Norman, co-Founder and Chair of NMITE added: “As this accreditation confirms, NMITE students are highly trained technical engineers, fully the equal of graduates from the UK’s leading universities. But studying at NMITE has also developed their practical skills, emotional resilience and work-readiness.
“This accreditation sends a clear signal to employers, companies and the wider higher education sector: NMITE’s distinctive, hands-on model delivers graduates of the highest academic and professional quality.”
NMITE stresses the relevance of this accreditation, explaining that this independent badge of quality gives reassurance to employers and companies that, along with being proud of doing things differently, NMITE produces graduates of the highest academic quality.
NMITE alumni Elise Cummings who works at Balfour Beatty said: “Following the news that NMITE has formally achieved IET accreditation for the Integrated Engineering programme – I feel incredibly proud. As someone who has supported the Institute since 2018 as a member of the Design Cohort and then graduated as part of the Pioneer Cohort last Spring, this announcement marks a significant milestone in both NMITE’s and my own journey. The decision reflects all the efforts that have been made so far to shape where NMITE is today – from all its students, colleagues, donors, and beyond. This milestone represents further trust in the university from industry, which will only further support my development going forth as an NMITE Engineer.”
NMITE’s President & Chief Executive, James Newby thanked the IET for “their willingness to look beyond the innovation, to rigorously ‘test the product’ and for their foresight in endorsing the country’s newest and most innovative university”.
The accreditation process was led by NMITE’s Quality Assurance Manager, Lucy Stonehouse, who coordinated efforts across academic staff, students and professional teams. She said:
“The IET ran an extremely thorough process, and the workload has at times been enormous, but we gave them confidence in our programme and our team to merit the accreditation. This win for NMITE has been many months in the making and I am thrilled that I have, along with my colleagues, played a part in this amazing achievement.”
This success builds on NMITE’s recent award of New Degree Awarding Powers (NDAPs) by the Office for Students in September 2023 and marks another decisive step towards Full Degree Awarding Powers – further strengthening the standing and long-term value of an NMITE degree.