Business & Technology
NMITE wins IET accreditation for engineering degrees
NMITE has secured accreditation from the Institution of Engineering and Technology for its BEng and MEng Integrated Engineering degrees, giving the Hereford institution recognition from one of the world’s largest engineering bodies.
The accreditation covers NMITE’s integrated engineering courses and places them on the IET and Engineering Council UK databases. Under the UK framework for professional engineering competence, the MEng programme fully satisfies the academic requirements for eventual registration as a Chartered Engineer, while the BEng programme partially satisfies them.
The decision marks a significant step for the specialist higher education provider, which welcomed its first students in 2021. It follows a detailed assessment by the IET, which has more than 157,000 members across 148 countries.
Professional route
For students and graduates, the main practical effect is formal recognition of their degrees and a clearer route towards Chartered Engineer status. In UK engineering, accreditation is a key benchmark because it confirms that a programme meets the standards for academic preparation in the profession.
NMITE has built its model around hands-on learning and close links with employers. More than 220 students have enrolled to date, with over 90 modules delivered and partnerships in place with more than 80 industry organisations.
James Newby, President and Chief Executive of NMITE, highlighted the scrutiny involved in the process and praised the IET for its willingness to look beyond the innovation, rigorously “test the product” and show the foresight to endorse “the country’s newest and most innovative university”.
Jesse Norman, Co-Founder and Chair of NMITE, said the decision reflected the standing of the institution’s graduates. “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.”
Growth path
The accreditation adds to a series of milestones for NMITE as it expands its place in the UK higher education sector. In 2023, the institution received New Degree Awarding Powers from the Office for Students, allowing it to award its own taught degrees.
Founded in Hereford, NMITE was set up to offer an alternative approach to engineering education, bringing together multiple engineering disciplines with project-based learning. Its development has included the opening of a second campus, student accommodation and new courses beyond its original engineering programme.
Newby said the accreditation would have a direct effect on students’ prospects. “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, this is a really big deal!”
An NMITE graduate working in industry also pointed to its effect on early career development. Elise Cummings, who works at Balfour Beatty, said the decision reflected several years of work across the institution and among its supporters.
“Following the news that NMITE has formally achieved IET accreditation for the Integrated Engineering programme, I feel incredibly proud. As someone who supported the institute from 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 made so far to shape where NMITE is today, from students, colleagues, donors and others. This milestone represents further trust in the university from industry, which will continue to support my development as an NMITE engineer.”
The work to secure approval was led internally by Lucy Stonehouse, Quality Assurance Manager, who coordinated submissions across academic staff, students and professional teams. The IET reviewed whether the courses met the standards required under the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence and the Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes framework.
Stonehouse 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 achievement.”
The two retail units in Bicester’s Sheep Street have been listed together, along with storage accommodation and three self contained flats.
Bicester Toys and Thorntons chocolate shop represent “long-standing” retail occupiers according to estate agency Carter Jonas with a combined rental income of £91,260 per annum across the properties.
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Indeed, the toy shop is a popular destination in the town with a 4.1 star rating based on over 60 Google Reviews.
Mr Cowell visited the shop in February this year, reportedly to buy Lego for his son.
The TV star is known for his appearances as a talent show judge, starring on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol over the years.
He now lives in Oxfordshire with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman, as well as his child, Eric.
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A fellow shopper at Bicester Toys described him as “very friendly”.
Andy Rumney said: “He was also very happy to chat to us about our four year old Shih-Poo called Tilly as he’s a huge dog lover, and they had their dog with them which was a lovely German Shepherd.
“He was also very happy happy to chat to the staff in the shop as apparently he’s in there a lot buying Lego for his son.”
Atos has compiled the 2026-27 Premier League fixture list, continuing a role it has held since the league’s launch in 1992.
The latest schedule extends a long-running arrangement under which Atos has supported the planning of 13,166 Premier League matches involving 51 clubs across 34 seasons.
Producing the fixture list begins at the start of the year and typically takes about six months. Computer systems generate an initial schedule, which specialists then revise against league rules and operational constraints.
Those rules limit long runs of home or away matches and aim to balance home and away games across any five-match sequence. Clubs are also not supposed to start or finish a season with two home games or two away games.
Beyond those rules, the schedule must account for local rivalries, policing capacity and transport pressures. Planning also seeks to reduce travel demands for supporters during periods such as Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Even small changes can affect a wider set of matches, requiring further adjustments elsewhere in the calendar. This year’s list also placed greater emphasis on player welfare and the need for recovery time between matches in an increasingly crowded football schedule.
Glenn Thompson, Fixture-List Compiler at Atos UK&I, has compiled the Premier League fixtures for more than 30 years. He said the work can narrow to a final manual review after the technology has processed large numbers of possible outcomes.
“There are pinch points in the process where it can become stressful, culminating in several days in a room manually checking for any issues that may have cropped up. The whole process is complex, involving many different data points. Ultimately, you can’t satisfy everyone, and it is a compromise across all clubs without favouring any one club,” Thompson said.
Sports work
Atos has maintained a Sports and Major Events division for more than 30 years. It also works with football bodies outside the Premier League, including UEFA’s national team competitions and CONMEBOL’s domestic club competitions in South America.
The group operates in 54 countries and employs about 56,000 people. It reported annual revenue of about EUR €7.2 billion at its go-forward perimeter.
Michael Herron, Head of Atos UK&I, linked the annual fixture release to the start of the new football season for supporters.
“For millions of fans, the release of the Premier League fixture list is when a new season really comes to life. We’re proud to support the Premier League and are looking forward to another exciting season ahead,” Herron said.
Established in 1972, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision is one of the largest independent Hi-Fi and Home Cinema retailers in the UK.
The company set up shop in Oxford on Banbury Road, but closed down recently.
Their website describes themselves as “a unique, first-class experience.”
“All of this is supported by a custom installation service which specialises in the creation and installation of bespoke home entertainment systems to suit all budgets.”
The company still has stores in Bristol, Bromley, Cambridge, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Epsom, Guildford, London, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham, Reading, Tunbridge Wells, Witham, and Yeovil.
They also have their flagship store in Seven Oaks, near Kent, and are opening a new store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham.
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