AWE helps strengthen the UK’s future defence workforce through new higher education investment
We are proud to be playing a role in a significant national milestone to strengthen the UK’s defence skills pipeline.
As a result of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence and the Office for Students (the independent regulator of Higher Education in England) have announced £80 million of investment across 24 universities and colleges. This will create up to 2,500 new student undergraduate places for UK citizen students in defence-critical disciplines such as engineering, computing, cyber security and advanced manufacturing. This programme will help ensure the UK has the skilled workforce needed to support national security and deliver on the Strategic Defence Review.
Working with leading universities and innovators
AWE is pleased to be supporting a strong and diverse group of institutions whose bids were successful, including the Universities of Bournemouth, Durham, Southampton, Surrey, Warwick and the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE). The group of higher education institutions are already trusted partners of AWE through a range of existing collaborations spanning research, skills development and innovation.
From established global universities with outstanding research reputations, such as Surrey, through to agile, regionally focused institutions who create impactful teaching, like NMITE, AWE will be actively engaging with students and academics across these highly innovative institutions.
Bringing industry expertise into the classroom
Our technical employees will be offering curriculum and facility advice, guest lectures, undergraduate projects, and exploring other ways to support programme delivery. Our aim is to enhance the opportunities for students entering the defence sector and inspire them to consider AWE as an employer of choice.
By sharing real-world expertise and insight, we can help equip students with the knowledge and experience needed to tackle some of the UK’s most complex scientific and engineering challenges.
Investing in the next generation
This Ministry of Defence investment marks an important step forward in connecting education with defence industry needs. By working collaboratively with academic partners, AWE is helping to build a sustainable UK-wide pipeline of talent, ensuring that defence remains a source of innovation, growth and national resilience.
AWE is proud to be at the heart of this effort, supporting not only today’s workforce, but inspiring and enabling the engineers and scientists of tomorrow.
What our partners say
“AWE has become a trusted and valued partner of NMITE, playing an increasingly important role in helping us connect students with the real-world challenges, technologies and opportunities that define modern engineering.
We are excited by the prospect of deepening that relationship through this new programme, demonstrating how close collaboration between higher education and industry can drive the development of the highly skilled workforce the UK needs.”
James Newby, Chief Executive Officer, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE)
“Defence does not stand still, and neither can engineering, computer science and artificial intelligence education. The partners who work alongside us bring direct knowledge of the systems, standards and environments that define real-world defence work. That kind of proximity to industry shapes how we teach, what we build and the graduates we produce.
This collaboration with AWE is a clear example of purposeful partnership, embedding support in our curricula, employment activities and mentoring projects. It is what turns a technically strong degree into one that genuinely prepares people for future careers in an ever-changing world.”
Professor Stephen Jarvis, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Surrey
