NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The LIA (Lighting Industry Association) outlining future partnership initiatives to bridge skills gaps affecting the lighting sector. The LIA is the largest trade association in Europe serving the UK Lighting Industry and is the first trade association with whom NMITE has initiated this kind of relationship for their Integrated Engineering degrees.
NMITE demonstrates innovation in higher education and produces work-ready engineering graduates. Central to its approach is the partnership model, with NMITE partners contributing in various ways, from supplying goods in kind to actively engaging with the curriculum by providing module challenges, delivering specialist talks and hosting students' projects. NMITE’s partners come from diverse sectors such as infrastructure, energy, health, and security.
Ben Ricketts, Academic Partnerships Associate for NMITE, commented, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with The Lighting Industry Association. This collaboration will bring invaluable challenges and expertise to our curriculum at NMITE, enriching our students' educational journeys and exposing them to exciting career opportunities in the lighting industry. By integrating technical engineering with professional development, leadership, and management skills, we aim to cultivate the next generation of innovative and well-rounded professionals.”
Teresa Beazley, Commercial & Training Manager, said, “It’s great to work alongside an innovative educational partner to develop sustainable, accessible, talent pipelines to support our member organisations, and we are actively encouraging as many of our member businesses as possible to get involved in the coming months.”
The partnership arrangement will offer a sharing of expertise and knowledge in technical and professional skills relevant to the lighting industry, whilst learners work together to provide innovative ideas to solve real-world engineering and design challenges for member organisations.
The LIA is one of ten new partners NMITE has welcomed in 2024 and it hopes to build relationships with more trade associations in the future. The LIA is in good company as NMITE already has around 80 partners including Balfour Beatty, ABT, Loadmac and JCB and already works with Timber Development UK for NMITE’s Centre for Advanced Timber Technology.
