Hereford shows the way in how to help our Neets

B ritain has nearly a million young people not in education, employment or training, yet more than 250,000 vacancies which employers cannot fill because applicants lack the necessary skills. Something has gone badly wrong with how we are equipping young people for work. A Policy Exchange report published on Tuesday suggests a new approach. It examines the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford and argues that its model could transform higher education across Britain. Most commented 1 Russian strikes ‘leave half a million Ukrainian homes without power’ Russia-Ukraine war 387 comments 2 Third of investors ready to stop UK spending after budget Politics 193 comments 3 ‘We’re 34 — we can’t wait to start being landlords’ Property & Home 75 comments 4 Douglas Dunn obituary: Scottish poet and academic Obituaries 24 comments 5 The beauty expert’s all-time favourite hair products Beauty 19 comments The institute, which I chair, is a radical experiment. Students work nine to five in small teams, tackling real engineering problems set by employers. There are no traditional lectures or final exams. Degrees are accelerated: a bachelor’s takes two years, an integrated master’s three. This offers students some 20 per cent better value for money. How innovative schools are trying to solve the Neets problem Crucially, students need neither A-level mathematics nor physics to enter. Mathematical understanding develops through practical engineering. Academic standards remain demanding but with much wider access for the less well-off. Advertisement Early results are encouraging. Major employers, from Airbus and BAE Systems to Hitachi and Cadbury, are recruiting our graduates. Our students get jobs with highly competitive starting salaries. The British Army has partnered with us to develop a new degree in autonomous robotics. Politics newsletter Get our daily insider’s guide to Westminster, plus a rundown of PMQs every Wednesday. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters But a still greater opportunity lies elsewhere. Policy Exchange identifies 57 towns and cities without their own university, many with serious educational disadvantage but strong industrial traditions. Think Hartlepool, Grimsby, Barnsley, Burnley or Scunthorpe. Why must talented young people in these communities leave home and incur substantial debt to acquire advanced technical skills? Why not bring higher education to them, shaped around local employers and opportunities? The Times View: Best way to get young into work is to cut employers’ burden New specialist institutions could be established, or existing colleges could incorporate NMITE-style higher education, offering a progression from technical qualifications to full engineering degrees. Neither requires the infrastructure or costs of a conventional university, but both demand innovation. Policy Exchange proposes a £50m seed fund and regulatory reforms to make new institutions easier to establish. Top stories 1 Clodagh McKenna: I always get up at 6am on holiday. I love the calm Inspiration 2 16 of the best safaris in Africa Africa 3 13 of the best affordable hotels in New York New York City 4 The Marylebone pop-up for Christmas-maxxers LUXX 5 The best luxury gifts for Christmas 2026 LUXX Top stories 1 The ten companies fund managers think will make them billions Saving & Investing 2 ‘Mum is dating a fraudster. What can I do?’ Family Finances 3 Prepare now for the inheritance tax mess coming for your pension Tax Britain’s great civic universities were founded by industrialists determined to strengthen their communities. We need that spirit again. The prize is better engineers, but also stronger local economies and a country with genuine 21st-century technological capability in every postcode. Advertisement Jesse Norman is shadow leader of the Commons and chair of NMITE