Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) and the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) have signed a formal agreement for a new nationwide network of advanced engineering, manufacturing, and learning hubs.

The strategic partnership will enable best-in-practice knowledge and understanding to be shared and tailored by region based on the UK's varied archetypes, typologies and capabilities. BE-ST and NMITE see the collaboration as the start of creating a broader network of collaborating partners who can create impact at scale. This is already exemplified by the existing partnerships with Timber Development UK and Edinburgh Napier University, with more regional partnerships to follow.

The approach will provide a framework for collaboration, with the goal of creating greater connectivity between these local ecosystems to deliver sustainable built environment training on a national scale. Through this partnership, NMITE will be able to leverage BE-ST's vast experience of delivering skills development training and learn from its approach to establish a model on a national scale, while BE-ST will benefit from growing its network in the South of England.

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Although the formal agreement between the organisations is new, NMITE and BE-ST have been working together for some time. BE-ST has been involved in projects such as NMITE's Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT), which now plays a strategically influential role in supporting and expanding the use of timber in modern construction. The new strategic partnership will enable both new and ongoing work between the two organisations by providing greater staff mobility and knowledge sharing, particularly in relation to net zero.

Their shared ambitions to accelerate the built environment's transition to zero carbon, support the development of world-leading built environment professionals, increase the adoption of renewable natural resources to deliver a more sustainable and resilient built environment, and create a more diverse and inclusive construction industry for built environment professionals to flourish and excel, also sit at the heart of the partnership.

Sam Hart, Head of Modern Methods of Construction at BE-ST said: "BE-ST and NMITE have a proven track record of working together to deliver impactful projects. Through this formalised partnership, we have a real opportunity to create a scalable model of regional learning hubs – a kind of basecamp for training in England - that we would like to see become a national asset."

Robert Hairstans, Director of CATT at NMITE said: "I'm excited to see that the partnership between BE-ST and NMITE now has the framework behind it to grow and sustain. Together, I am confident we can advance the development of problem-solving skills, innovative thinking, and career development opportunities through the establishment of collaborative regional hubs, capable of sharing best practice and tailoring it to the specifics of their regional contexts. In turn, this will support the accelerated decarbonisation of the built environment and the development of services, which would not be achievable if we were working in isolation."