North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College

Responding to the emergence of electric, connected and autonomous vehicle technology, the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI), part of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), is a dynamic partnership between further education, higher education and industry that addresses the demand for new skills needed by the automotive sector.

Launched in 2018 with a £9.5m Local Growth Fund investment, MTI delivers accredited Level 2 to Level 8 programmes via its unique Skills Escalator, which includes bespoke training courses, Continuous Professional Development opportunities and online courses.

MTI has welcomed nearly 61,500 students and delegates, including almost 5,000 learners studying for accredited qualifications, from Level 1 certificates to Masters’ degrees, and nearly 1,200 apprentices. Over 18,000 automotive professionals have taken part in professional development activities.

Its key achievements include delivering electrification training to more than 1,000 Jaguar Land Rover staff and providing software-defined vehicles training to 100 Bentley Motors staff. It has delivered Institute of the Motor Industry-accredited electric vehicle training to multiple companies, including Norton, Royal Enfield, RBW Classic EVs, Aston Martin, JLR, VCA, 3C Test Ltd and Dana.

MTI has created a first-of-its-kind training programme for the inspection/calibration and certification of public Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment with EVCI – Global. It has contributed to the launch of the UK Research and Innovation-funded Electric Revolution Skills Hub, providing a national resource for the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives community. Its team has developed a connected autonomous vehicles short course and six degree-level apprenticeships.

The multi-award-winning organisation is outperforming national apprenticeship achievement rates and has also provided STEM experiences to more than 5,000 school pupils. The partnership between further education, higher education and industry is enabling NWSLC to meet the green technology and autonomous vehicle needs of the future.