Departmental news

The Advance HE Teaching Excellence Awards are among the most prestigious in the world of higher education — and WMG, University of Warwick, is proud to share that one of its own, Dr Freeha Azmat, has been honoured this year.

An Associate Professor and Reader in Engineering Education at WMG, Dr Azmat has been named a National Teaching Fellow for her outstanding innovations in engineering education and curriculum design, as well as her steadfast commitment to inclusion.

Freeha is now one of only three academics at WMG to have received Advance HE’s National Teaching Fellowship Award; she joins Professor Robin Clark, Pro-Dean International, and Professor Margaret Low, Director of Outreach and Participation, as a fellow.

The Institution of Engineering and TechnologyLink opens in a new window (IET), one of the world’s leading professional societies for engineers and technicians, has awarded professional recognition to the BSc Digital and Technology Solutions Degree ApprenticeshipLink opens in a new window at WMG, University of Warwick.

Accreditation was awarded following a rigorous review process, which looked at the programme’s content and delivery including its relevance, coherence, challenge, assessment, staffing, quality assurance, facilities and resources. This recognition underscores WMG’s dedication to providing high quality engineering education.

The BSc Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship is aligned to the Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Level 6) Undergraduate Degree Apprenticeship StandardLink opens in a new window. The programme offers four specialist pathways, designed to best meet specific industry needs.*

Congratulations to a group of female engineering students who have been named as finalists at the Autocar Great Women: Rising Stars awards.

There was a total of seven WMG Degree Apprenticeship students, recognised in the Apprentice category, with six employed by JLR and one from Bentley.

Three of the students, Erin Purewal; Amy Flavell and Keishe Gopikrishna, are studying on the BSc Digital and Technology Solutions (DTSLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window) programme.

A further four, Alexandra Spurway, Beth Daniel, Charlotte Bradford and Emily Ruscoe, are studying on the BEng Applied Professional Engineering Programme (APEPLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window) programme.

A total of five undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at WMG, University of Warwick have received accreditation from the BCS, Chartered Institute for IT.

The BCS, the professional body for computing, awarded unconditional accreditation, to the following:

Full-time courses  

· BSc Cyber Security

· MSc Cyber Security Engineering

· MSc Cyber Security Management

 Degree Apprenticeships 

· BSc Digital and Technology Solutions

· MSc Digital and Technology Solutions

This accreditation ensures that graduates from the relevant BSc and MSc programmes are automatically eligible to apply for full or partial Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP) membership with BCS respectively, thereby enhancing their employability prospects as they embark on careers in technology and computing.

WMG at the University of Warwick welcomes the recent Edge Foundation report on Degree Apprenticeships in England.

As a major provider of degree apprenticeships in engineering and digital technologies in the West Midlands, WMG recognises the transformative impact that they have on employers and learners who gain real industrial experience alongside a degree qualification.

The report explores the experiences of apprentices, employers, and education and training providers (ETPs), and makes a number of key recommendations for Government and Skills England to explore, which WMG strongly supports.

Professor Rob Thornton, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at WMG, said: "Degree Apprenticeships provide fantastic opportunities for young people to learn and gain work experience, at the same time delivering value for and meeting the ongoing skills needs for businesses.

“While awareness of these programmes and their popularity is growing, ETPs may struggle to meet this demand due to administrative complexity and the fragmentation of apprenticeship standards. It's vitally important that employers take the lead in defining apprenticeship standards, but these also need to be flexible to allow ETPs to tailor their programmes to better meet employer and regional needs, and incorporate the world-leading research and development being carried out in our universities."

Find out more about WMG Degree Apprenticeship programmes here: Degree Apprenticeships

Congratulations to the WMG graduates who celebrated their achievements at the University of Warwick's Winter Ceremonies.

A total of 1307 Master’s, Postgraduate Research and Undergraduate students graduated from across WMG Including:

• 1,212 Master’s students; with 1,123 of those full-time, 38 part-time, and 51 studying overseas.

• 11 PhD students and one EngD student

• 83 Undergraduate students from Applied Engineering; Digital and Technology Solutions; Cyber Security; and Digital Healthcare Science

At the event, keynote speeches were delivered by members of the WMG alumni community - Dr Andy Palmer CMG, MSc Manufacturing Systems Engineering, (1990), former COO at Nissan and President & Group CEO of Aston Martin; Paul Faithfull MSc/EngD Engineering (UK), (1997), Chairman, Watt Electric Vehicles and Jim Shaw, MSc Engineering Business Management, (1996), Chief Experience Officer, bloom³.

WMG at the University of Warwick's collaborative, industry-driven approach was noted in a recent Ofsted report, where the University was praised for its commitment to delivering high-quality and transformative degree apprenticeship programmes.

The inspection highlighted Warwick's dedication to fostering valuable learning experiences across its degree apprenticeships, which are provided by key departments including WMG, Warwick Medical School; the School of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, and the Centre for Lifelong Learning.

Warwick's approach was praised by the Ofsted inspectors, who found that the training offered aligns closely with local, regional and national skills shortages.

Professor Rob Thornton, Associate Dean Undergraduate Programmes, at WMG said: “On behalf of the entire team, I’m thrilled that the inspectors have recognised the strengths of the University’s degree apprenticeships, with over 60% based here in WMG, spanning Engineering and Digital Technologies.”