Issued by: Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education

Young engineers to master battlefield-proven technology at Hereford university from September 2026.

Aspiring Defence engineers will be fast-tracked to careers in cutting-edge military technology through a new defence-focused undergraduate drone degree.

The new course will open for enrolment at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford from September 2026. The Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP visited the site today, seeing first-hand how the £240,000 investment from the British Army will deliver the three-year course to train 15 civilian students – and up to five soldiers each year – as drone technology specialists.

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the growing threat posed by uncrewed devices, and it is critical that the UK has both the specialist capability to meet that demand but also the power and authority to protect military sites from such threats.

This new degree complements powers introduced through the Armed Forces Bill last week to strengthen Defence’s ability to tackle drone threats and ensure Defence personnel can better deter, detect and defeat drone incursions over the Defence Estate.

This degree forms part of a broader effort to deliver the Strategic Defence Review’s ambition to make the British Army ten times more lethal through AI, drones and autonomous systems. By building a pipeline of homegrown talent with specialist STEM skills, Defence is addressing critical workforce gaps while positioning the UK at the forefront of next-generation military capability.

This helps to work towards the Prime Minister’s ambitious target for two-thirds of young people studying degrees or gold-standard apprenticeships by the age of 25. The Government is supporting young people to gain the skills needed to thrive in jobs in Defence, including by establishing five Technical Excellence Colleges specifically for Defence.

Based on lessons learnt from Ukraine, the UK will develop a world-leading innovation sector in autonomy, doubling investment in autonomous systems this Parliament.

Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns MP said:

"In Ukraine, drones are causing more casualties than artillery - that’s the reality of modern warfare. This degree gives young engineers a fast track to careers at the cutting edge, protecting Britain and powering growth in places like Hereford.

"These graduates will strengthen our Armed Forces and help push forward advances in civilian and commercial drone technology, developing homegrown talent, building British capabilities, from battlefield to business."

Students on the Masters of Engineering course will complete the qualification one year faster than traditional university courses, offering quicker access to specialist and novel careers.

Based in Hereford, the course also anchors significant investment in a region that is rapidly establishing itself as Britain’s ‘military Silicon Valley’.

Minister for Skills Jacqui Smith MP said:

"This groundbreaking degree is exactly the kind of innovative skills provision our country needs – providing pioneering training for ambitious young people, while boosting jobs in defence.

"It helps to work towards the Prime Minister’s target for two-thirds of young people studying degrees or gold-standard apprenticeships by the age of 25 through our Plan for Change."

CEO of NMITE, James Newby said

"This degree reflects the scale of the opportunity in front of us - to equip the next generation of engineers with skills that matter now, and to quickly deliver positive impacts in terms of skills, defence and a security capability and regional growth. The fact that we expect many local young people to take on the degree and build their futures with us, is incredibly exciting."

Expressions of interest are now open for the course starting in September 2026, and those interested can register for updates here: [https://nmite.ac.uk/form/register-your-interest-in-autosy}

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