New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) was delighted to welcome The Duke of Edinburgh to the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) at their Skylon Campus on 1st October 2024.
His Royal Highness, was accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire Mr Edward Harley CBE, will meet NMITE’s President and Chief Executive Officer, James Newby, academic staff and NMITE students, including those who have recently entered the workplace.
The visit included a tour of NMITE’s Skylon Campus, providing an opportunity for His Royal Highness to get hands-on with NMITE’s unique approach to learning, and concluded with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
Ahead of the visit James Newby, President & Chief Executive said “This will be an amazing opportunity to show The Duke of Edinburgh how NMITE is a transformative force in UK university and technical education, redefining engineering and construction training on a national scale, how we are providing new educational opportunities for local people and helping to overcome the barriers to regional economic growth. Our overarching goal is to generate substantial employment, skills development, and economic impacts for Herefordshire, fulfilling the institution's intended role as a catalyst for positive change in the region.”
During the visit, His Royal Highness met NMITE’s Foundation Year students, along with MEng and BEng Integrated Engineering students, some of whom showcases their engineering and technology projects. Several of NMITE’s Pioneers (NMITE’s first student intake from 2021) who have now entered the workplace were among those on-site to welcome His Royal Highness. Representatives from NMITE’s recent Retrofit programme, and Timber Technology Engineering Design (TED) short courses were also be in attendance.
The venue for the visit, Skylon Campus, completed in 2021, has been recognised with a Construction Excellence Social Impact Award and is an exemplar of timber-based modern methods of construction. Designed as a demonstration of the benefits of using timber as a building material, the building is a "Living Lab" and also stores 330,000 kg of CO2e, serving as a beacon for sustainability in the region and beyond.
Academic staff present included Professor Robert Hairstans, CATT Director, Professor David Oloke, Chief Academic Officer and Steve Bertasso, Associate Professor. CATT which was established as a partnership between NMITE and Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) has drawn particular praise from industry and government for its part in developing innovation in timber construction.
Professor Hairstans, NMITE’s CATT Director, is also a Professor of offsite and industrialised construction at ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment (SCEBE). Hairstans says “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to explain how CATT is being established as a nationally renowned centre for research and education excellence in timber construction for the delivery and upgrade of the built environment. Our work in collaboration with the sector and throughout the supply chain has an important part to play in achieving the net zero carbon ambitions of the UK whilst enabling a just transition by means of upskilling and reskilling the professionals of the future.”
