MTI college marks its first birthday
MIRA Technology Institute is one year old
AN automotive institute based just outside Hinckley has celebrated its first birthday.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled as the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) celebrated its first anniversary, with Professor Joe McGeough, president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, doing the honours.
He spoke about the importance of STEM skills in solving problems since the advent of the industrial revolution.
Professor McGeough said: “The UK has grown and developed as a result of highly developed skills in science, technology, engineering and maths.
“I am convinced that the same disciplines will, when nurtured by organisations like the MIRA Technology Institute, overcome the challenges now facing the automotive industry with the development of autonomous, connected, electric and shared vehicle technology, and the challenges brought by electrification, cybersecurity and emissions.”
The MTI is a specialist facility designed to train the next generation of engineers in the latest technological advances, with the project created in a unique collaboration led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.
HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester, and Loughborough University have also partnered in the initiative.
It was built with £9.5m investment from the UK Government’s Growth Fund via the LLEP and it is helping to create specialist skills in some of the new disruptive technology areas including electrification and driverless cars.
Declan Allen, managing director of HORIBA MIRA, said: “Ever since the inception of the Motor Industry Research Association in 1946 we have understood the importance of nurturing skills to solve some of the most pressing problems of the modern age.
“HORIBA MIRA has been working in close collaboration with North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College for several years and the development of the
MTI seemed a natural next step on our journey to foster the skills of future engineers.”
Since it first opened its doors in 2018, the MTI has welcomed over 5,500 students and delegates.
This includes over 360 studying for accredited qualifications from a Level 1 Institute of the Motor Industry certificate up to Masters degrees, and nearly 200 following apprenticeships at all levels.
The institute will also soon be offering a degree level engineering apprenticeship, launching in 2020, and it has had more than 3,000 automotive professionals taking part in professional development activities.
Marion Plant, principal of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, said: “We’re delighted to mark such a successful first year for the MTI and pleased that we are already delivering a sustainable supply of future specialist technicians and engineers.
“Our ambition is to be a global centre of excellence and we made some progress towards achieving that when, in June this year, we welcomed the chairman and group CEO of the HORIBA Group, Atsushi Horiba, to the MTI for HORIBA’s global strategy meeting.
“We are grateful to our partners in industry and higher education for enabling us to work together to address the issues of an ageing workforce in the context of a more rapid innovation cycle in the automotive sector than any we have seen before.
“I would like to thank the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership for its support in helping us to secure the local growth fund investment that has enabled us to deliver this fantastic facility.”
Guests at the celebration event were treated to demonstrations of the latest technology in action including a showcase on the software behind trusted autonomous vehicles from the University of Leicester.
They also viewed robotic roleplay used to combat cyber security from HORIBA MIRA, 3D printing from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, vehicle test laboratory cars from Loughborough University, and the Coventry University Formula Student race vehicle.