Following on from the UK Engineering Report 2016 (and the discussion of same in this forum) and the adequacy or not of current efforts to educate and train, and to encourage the registration of our future engineers, I am intrigued about a “new model in technology and engineering” (NMiTE http://www.nmite.org.uk ). It is a new University that is to focus on the teaching of engineering. In a recent press release, it says: “At NMiTE we believe that engineering education can be different. We’re here to unlock the creativity and drive of Britain’s next generation – the Passioneers – the designers and builders, problem solvers and innovators who will shape our future. We’re establishing a new model of high-value engineering education: Creating a beacon institution to help address the engineering skills shortage that threatens to hobble the UK’s ability to compete globally. With a new approach to learning – based on real-world problem solving and the blending of high quality engineering, design, liberal arts and humanities with communication and employability skills targeted at the growth sectors of the future. Located on a new and different type of campus – designed for inspiration, collaboration and a deep connection to the global community. And reinforced by an innovation ecosystem of global corporations & SME entrepreneurs, coupled with global universities, not just to invest, but to contribute knowledge and expertise – with New Model students at its centre. We’re shaping an institution to create and deliver 21st century engineers – catalysts for innovation and change – a new model generation of emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs, innovators, employees and leaders for the future." Two things strike me as very different about this proposition: Its motto is “no lectures, no exams, no text books” (!). It plans to be very practically-based, largely conducted within real industry. Apparently, it will also have no departments, no faculties, no tenure, no Council. Instead, it’ll have “ teaching teams designed around the delivery of our unique engineering and Human Interaction curriculum ” (developed by an impressive, international, and overwhelmingly academic array of advisors and partners). It’s located in the city of Hereford (admittedly partly a personal one as a resident of Herefordshire for over 30 years). It is a city by virtue of its cathedral but it is one of the smaller cities in the UK with a population of just over 50k, and is in England's first or second most rural county (depending on how you rank it). Hereford’s engineering heritage is largely unremarkable as it is known more for its agricultural and food output (beef, potatoes, strawberries, apples, cider(!), beer, etc.) and of being home to the UK's elite special forces regiments. It has engineering history in munitions production from during WWII and it's current engineering association is with food production, double-glazing, Morgan chassis and JCB cab manufacture, insulation material forming, and that’s largely it. So, not the most obvious choice to base a new Advanced Engineering University then! The NMiTE project has been described (The Times 6 th Sep 2016) as “ at worst an intriguing experiment and at best an innovative template that traditional universities might learn from”. What do you think? As an aside, I have seen nothing of NMiTE in these forums or indeed on the IET website – yet, apparently (and quite rightly) the IET has been an advisor/contributor/supporter. As a footnote, I would very much like to reach out and connect with any IET members/fellows that are/have been involved in NMiTE with a view of my getting involved too.

This discussion is locked.

You cannot post a reply to this discussion. If you have a question start a new discussion

A new model of high-value engineering education

Following on from the UK Engineering Report 2016 (and the discussion of same in this forum) and the adequacy or not of current efforts to educate and train, and to encourage the registration of our future engineers, I am intrigued about a “new model in technology and engineering” (NMiTE http://www.nmite.org.uk). It is a new University that is to focus on the teaching of engineering.

In a recent press release, it says:

“At NMiTE we believe that engineering education can be different.
We’re here to unlock the creativity and drive of Britain’s next generation – the Passioneers – the designers and builders, problem solvers and innovators who will shape our future.

We’re establishing a new model of high-value engineering education:

Creating a beacon institution to help address the engineering skills shortage that threatens to hobble the UK’s ability to compete globally.

With a new approach to learning – based on real-world problem solving and the blending of high quality engineering, design, liberal arts and humanities with communication and employability skills targeted at the growth sectors of the future.

Located on a new and different type of campus – designed for inspiration, collaboration and a deep connection to the global community.

And reinforced by an innovation ecosystem of global corporations & SME entrepreneurs, coupled with global universities, not just to invest, but to contribute knowledge and expertise – with New Model students at its centre.

We’re shaping an institution to create and deliver 21st century engineers – catalysts for innovation and change – a new model generation of emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs, innovators, employees and leaders for the future."

Two things strike me as very different about this proposition:

Its motto is “no lectures, no exams, no text books” (!). It plans to be very practically-based, largely conducted within real industry.

Apparently, it will also have no departments, no faculties, no tenure, no Council. Instead, it’ll have “teaching teams designed around the delivery of our unique engineering and Human Interaction curriculum” (developed by an impressive, international, and overwhelmingly academic array of advisors and partners).

It’s located in the city of Hereford (admittedly partly a personal one as a resident of Herefordshire for over 30 years).

It is a city by virtue of its cathedral but it is one of the smaller cities in the UK with a population of just over 50k, and is in England's first or second most rural county (depending on how you rank it). Hereford’s engineering heritage is largely unremarkable as it is known more for its agricultural and food output (beef, potatoes, strawberries, apples, cider(!), beer, etc.) and of being home to the UK's elite special forces regiments. It has engineering history in munitions production from during WWII and it's current engineering association is with food production, double-glazing, Morgan chassis and JCB cab manufacture, insulation material forming, and that’s largely it. So, not the most obvious choice to base a new Advanced Engineering University then!

The NMiTE project has been described (The Times 6^th Sep 2016) as “at worst an intriguing experiment and at best an innovative template that traditional universities might learn from”.

What do you think?

As an aside, I have seen nothing of NMiTE in these forums or indeed on the IET website – yet, apparently (and quite rightly) the IET has been an advisor/contributor/supporter.

As a footnote, I would very much like to reach out and connect with any IET members/fellows that are/have been involved in NMiTE with a view of my getting involved too.

Parents

No Data

Reply

0 Former Community Member over 7 years ago in reply to Chris Pearson

Roy Andy Moshe -
MIETs

I do not think that we
play in the same ball park, Moshe is in a Liberal country and Andy
was an A level student apprentice; we have a UK PEI that has
pursued globalism, commoditization by its CEng electrical hegemony,
resulting in a CEng community hostile to the backbone
PEs.

We have a British home
problem, and the ideals of Student Apprenticeships have been
lost.

Reading these blogs, I
feel that I am from another era, when education was a question of
class and university was a question of finances. However I have
just added another world first to my CV in developing a new DAD
procedure using a new branch of mathematics developed by our
student and our in house mathematicians. I can give my advice on
mathematics in engineering as I took a further degree in the
faculty of mathematics, The fact that I had Oxford professors is
not important. Maths is not my cup of tea, but I use it and
understand it.

Those that undertook
manual work or craft apprenticeships were not lacking in
intelligence, just lacking in chance, now we have a selective
education system so the brightest have a good chance of gaining the
education they want, if they work. Finances can now be found or
borrowed. Those that are bright but not mathematically inclined can
master trades – plumbers are paid more than engineers in
France.

This explains the
attitude of members who have been to university as opposed to those
that could not. There are still inequalities in the UK; the ECUK
with PEIs could give a second chance to those that want to enter
engineering following the UK Spec. They used to do this very well,
now they are reverting to an elitist cartel. Note the ECUK only
acts on the PEIs instructions, so do not blame ECUK, blame your PEI
leaders.

The result is restrictive practice in
recruiting (CEng
only) by positive
discrimination in favor of university graduates, and
denigrating apprentice trained engineers with the same
diplomas.

In the UK we still have
this class struggle, as seen in this blog, those that have a BSc
from full time university study, want to lock out what is termed
the I Eng a
professional engineer. They will dig they heels in, then use all
the underhanded means to gain their goals, the result is that
professional engineering suffers, IET becomes a CEng stronghold and
the UK Technology businesses are becoming subservient to foreign
technology companies. The days of British is best is long
past.

By recognizing
professional engineers we can bring back quality, productivity, and
lateral thinking in ingenious engineering.

The University system
only covers a part of this technology experience acquisition. The
UK 2016, the OCED and
now EU national leaders are calling for sound technical
education and practical training, it is not a faculty
monopoly.

Roy qoted:

Industry Training Boards
have a significant history and from 1950s-1980s many
Apprenticeships were offered by the Nationalised Industries and
Armed Forces. Most Apprenticeships in Engineering were of at least
four-years duration from the age of 16, although the historic
tradition going back to medieval times was for an Apprentice to be
bound to their "Master" until majority (i.e. age 21). There
were different “streams” for “Craft” and “Technician/Engineer”
including some graduate recruitment of Engineers (rather than just
“management trainees”), with progression as talent emerged through
transition into adulthood. Relatively few women were involved in
what was culturally mainly a “Man’s World”.

I came from the leading
UK experimental school, at 15 I could make engineering drawings,
define all the major steel making plants, and had learnt the
rudiments of the major crafts. I was near bilingual and well
educated. It was too good; the system was destroyed by
jealous politicians.

I was indentured to the
Minister of Aviation in person, my parents lost control of my
rights, I was an O level student apprentice bound for HND and
Master at Loughborough University, again the system was destroyed by
jealous politicians. This was not in medieval times.
At 17 the laws changed, so did my
apprenticeship.

I was offered the long
road and craft apprenticeship. Apprenticeships were for 5 years and
two years journeyman was recommended. In France the Companion and
his Journeying still exist. Mine was reduced to 4
years.

I was based at RAE Farnborough, I
negotiated my new training in all the major laboratories workshops
and wind tunnels, I worked on the UK leading technology projects,
my apprentice masters were the world war II boffins, and leading UK
technologists.

Such excellence cannot be
achieved now, but on these blogs and with Roy’s wise guidance, a
path to the future education, training and recognition of
Professional Engineers has been drawn. It needs to be implemented
before the system will
be destroyed by jealous politicians.

When Andy undertook his A
level apprenticeship, the craft apprentices were trained as
craftsmen, not as future draughtsmen, technicians or
engineers.

Roy describes the old
system well.

At RAE we were selected
after a year of tests and interviews we were a representative cross
section of British society, and regions, one of our comrades wore
plus fours and drove a 3 wheel Morgan, another stated that he
rarely saw his parents because he never knew which wing they slept
in. I was a typical man from the war torn ruins of a UK industrial
town – we were all British and engineers.

We had no girls, no
immigrants and no commonwealth partners- BREXIT will change all
that! – it won’t be
destroyed by jealous politicians.

Then a group of young
women arrived from the Surry University electrical – electronic
Faculty. A group of Ceylonese students joined our college, life was
more colourful. Change was on route.

Eventually some years
later the RAE was disbanded as was its apprenticeship; the system was destroyed by
jealous politicians.

A new form of
apprenticeship has to be redefined and refinanced, probably college
managed, industrially trained and financed from profits; in France
apprenticeships are off set against taxes.

In my last post we had a
girl apprentice who had a (HNC equivalent) in Biology, she was
sitting 2 X 3 months a year in a technical university and 2 x 3
months in our department, with real hands on
tasks.

We had Grande Ecole
mastère students and I had a US – Greek nuclear physics mastère
student who left the Chicago slums to learn French and nuclear
engineering. What a challenge for him he was only
20.

France announced again
today that apprenticeships will be the key to its technology future
and defined its apprentice sponsoring from tax relief.

Apprentices work and study full
time, or full time and night school. We worked from 7.30 AM to
9.30 PM 3 days a week and two days full time, with 11 days annual
leave.

- A BSc student will study 2
short semesters with very long holidays they have a lot of
experience to catch upon.

There is no point in
trying to convince those that refuse change. For those that want to
engineer a new future for our potential professional engineers; now
is the time for action.

I have no priorities on
how it is achieved, as long as baseline professional engineers are
educated, trained and recognized and that selective registration
via prejudiced subjective interviews is abolished. For elitism, as
is the English fetish ; they can add on their diplomas to
the MIET PE base line engineering title at BSc or equivalent (
Moshe's validation of aquis)

In the beginning at
ITEME we had no
interviews we were accepted on our credentials and
certificates.

We are not a trades union
or the Free Masons which were PEIs once. We should be an open
Professional Engineering Institute for UK Professional Engineers (
and foreign associates) of all genders, disciplines and levels –
with no Peer Reviews.

Its up to the working
engineers to define the future, we did our bit from ITEME to IIE to
IET.

John Gowman, MIET BA (Fac
of Maths) -IEng retired

(A British Ingénieur
Chercher in a French national laboratory – on stand
by)

Post script
:

On training, I took many
courses on PLC programming, small companies sent their directors as
they were afraid that their newly trained staff would leave the
company.

·
If their staff left the
company, they would employ newly trained staff from another
company.

·
My company changed its IT 3D
system and fired all its 3D designers rather than train them
(training in 3D is long, it took me 3 months to learn AutoCAD;
complexe IT systems can take a full master to learn). We changed
the IT system again for a new contract and went
bankrupt.

If
every company trains staff, staff become mobile and the company
gains new experience; where’s the problem?

Garanti sans virus. www.avg.com
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Cancel

Children

No Data

A new model of high-value engineering education

Community Rules & Guidelines