A new generation of engineers is getting to work as NMITE welcomes the first students onto its new Autonomous Robotics degree
Developed in partnership with the Army, the programme brings military personnel and civilian students together to study autonomous systems, robotics, drone technology, control, mechatronics and systems thinking.
It’s already proving to be a significant moment for NMITE - with ITV, alongside other media outlets, visiting the Hereford campus this week to capture the launch and meet the students taking part.
The story has also featured across ITV, the BBC and Hereford Times, highlighting the growing importance of autonomous technologies and the opportunities the new degree could open up for students.
ITV spoke to students and staff during its visit, including Sgt Callum Dervey, who has returned to education after 13 years in the Army. Military personnel on the programme are taking three-year secondments from active service, with the aim of taking their engineering skills and experience back into the Army.
But the applications of autonomous robotics reach far beyond defence.
Students will develop skills that could be applied across industries including manufacturing, agriculture, humanitarian work and emerging technologies - learning how to design, build, programme and operate autonomous systems.
NMITE President and CEO James Newby said: “They'll be learning about autonomous systems and robotics and control and mechatronics and systems thinking. Those are hugely important skills in manufacturing, agriculture and humanitarian work.”
For students like Matthew Ryall, who has joined the three-year MEng, the course is already opening up new career possibilities.
“It's expanded so much that it could be anything, whether it's manufacturing, defence, whether it's in the air, on the ground or underwater as well,” he told ITV.
A new kind of engineering degree
The Autonomous Robotics degree is designed around real-world engineering, with students working in teams, tackling practical challenges and developing the technical and problem-solving skills needed to work with complex autonomous systems.
It’s part of NMITE’s wider approach to engineering education - moving beyond traditional lecture-based learning and giving students the opportunity to learn by doing, alongside industry and real-world challenges.
With the first cohort now underway, it’s an exciting new chapter for NMITE and for engineering education in Hereford.
Interested in studying Autonomous Robotics at NMITE? Apply now.
ITV: Catch up on ITV News Central (West Midlands) - Thursday 17th September - Latest From ITV News
BBC: Soldiers and students study drone technology in Hereford together - BBC News
