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Lord Kenneth Baker, Baron of Dorking, British politician, former Conservative Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, visited the WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Solihull on Tuesday (15 November), to show his support for the work of the University Technical College.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has highlighted that the UK will need a million more engineers and technicians by 2020, which will require doubling the number of engineering apprentices every year. Under the leadership of Kate Tague, Executive Principal of the WMG Academies Trust, the WMG Academy in Solihull is playing a key role in addressing this need by creating a crucial link between national and local employers, parents and universities.

Lord Baker said: “I’m pleased to be visiting the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull, which is the 2^nd UTC supported by WMG and Jaguar Land Rover. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen, all of the pupils are enthusiastic and excited about studying engineering. With the need for more skilled engineers, the Academy gives these pupils the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge progressing into a higher apprenticeship, university or a job. I wish all the pupils good luck in their studies.”

Local budding engineers will be working alongside academics from WMG, at the University of Warwick, to get a taste of what a career in engineering is really like by building and racing their own electric vehicles.

The Greenpower Education Trust looks to address the skills gap that is growing in the UK automotive industry by engaging students in engineering at a young age. Pupils aged 9 to 11 will be given their own electric kit cars to design, build and race - guided by their teachers and supporting mentors from WMG and engineering students from Warwick. Pupils will then compete with their car in a regional Greenpower IET Formula Goblin race, scheduled to take place towards the end of the school year in 2017.

We are delighted that WMG has been awarded seven tuition fee bursaries through the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Programme, for individuals to retrain in cyber security.

Sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the bursaries are part of a pilot programme to address the significant mismatch in the supply and demand of adequately skilled cyber security professionals.

The project has been a huge help to the seven students who wouldn’t have been able to take up their studies without financial support. Current MSc Cyber Security and Management student, Ella-Karita Halsey commented: “I was overwhelmed when I was offered a bursary. I believe the bursary is set to propel me into a career within cyber security, and the GCHQ provisionally certified route of study gives a wide range of interesting topics, that are recognized as industry standard within the cyber community”. Davina Pattni also received a bursary to study for her MSc Cyber Security and Management: “The bursary has given me an opportunity to fast track my career within the cyber security industry."

Professor Carsten Maple from the Cyber Security Centre at WMG at the University of Warwick is an expert on cyber systems engineering. He comments on the Tesco Bank security breach.

“We have learned of another high profile breach this morning – this time, Tesco Bank. As yet we know little of how the breach occurred, but what we do know is that a number of accounts were subjected to "online criminal activity" over the weekend, with "some cases" resulting in money being withdrawn fraudulently. Of course Tesco has stated it will refund money to those affected, but failed to answer two key questions: How did the breach occur and what about the impact and associated costs for those affected?

“For the first question, it may not be necessary to provide this answer today, but it will be important. Were card machines breached? Was there a human error either within Tesco or one of its partners? These questions will be important as they will determine the follow-up actions needed by Tesco and it customers.

A bespoke engineering degree has been developed by WMG, at the University of Warwick, and Dyson which is designed for aspiring engineers.

The four-year degree programme will be delivered at the newly launched Dyson Institute of Technology which is based at Dyson’s Research and Development Campus in Malmesbury Wiltshire. The first cohort of 25 students will start in September 2017.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman and founder of WMG, University of Warwick said: “It is vital that in order for UK companies to be competitive they must have the right people with the right skills. I am delighted we are working with the Dyson Institute on this degree and welcome the move by James Dyson to develop a pool of talent which have the skills that are required to work in industry today.”

This year WMG, at the University of Warwick, saw 21 International Chevening Scholars from 14 countries start their studies.

The Chevening Scholarship is aimed at developing global leaders. Coming to WMG from Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Iraq, Turkey, Kenya, Gambia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Jordan, this sees a 700% increase from 2014/15.

Chevening Scholarships are one of the UK’s global scholarship scheme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and aimed at developing global leaders. The programme helps students from all around the world study at universities such as the University of Warwick; which has been placed in the top 10 universities in the UK by The Guardian and The Times, and is in the top 100 universities on the QS World Rankings and the THE World Rankings.

Professor Mark Williams has been awarded an IET Achievement Medal for his outstanding work in Forensic Engineering.

The IET Achievement Medals are awarded to individuals, such as Professor Williams, who have made major and distinguished contributions in the various sectors of science, engineering and technology.

Dr Ian Nussey OBE, from the IET Awards and Prizes Committee explains: “Professor Mark Williams criminal forensics engineering is helping to shape the criminal justice system. It has established the truth where prosecution has not been pursued, provided pivotal evidence at a number of high profile murder trials and helped victims' families and vulnerable people.

WMG is pleased to announce the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between WMG, at the University of Warwick signed by its Chairman Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, and the Upper Austrian Research GmbH (UAR), signed by CEO Wilfried Enzenhofer and its shareholder representative, Deputy State Governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer.

The MoU will see both parties work side-by-side to collaborate on key research projects relating to intelligent vehicles, lightweight materials, metrology, and energy storage.

WMG Honorary Fellow, Professor Colin Williams, will be delivering a series of special weekly lectures exploring The Human Story of Cybernetics.

The nine-week course at WMG’s Cyber Security Centre, commences on Thursday 13^th October with ‘When Minds Explode,’ focusing on the intellectual history of the initialisation and early development of Cybernetics. Other lectures include ‘Meat the Machine’ and ‘Cauldrons of Fire and Crucibles of Ice.’

Students from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers are set to further their studies after successfully securing places at Coventry’s universities.

Based in Canley and opened in 2014, the WMG Academy for Young Engineers has been recognised as an exemplary University Technical College and is transforming the lives of local students by educating the region’s new generation of engineers as well as providing Coventry and regional companies with fresh engineering talent.

Ten local students starting their university studies locally this autumn are from the WMG Academy’s first graduating class, which saw a 100% pass rate in engineering.