Hereford based NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering) is launching an initiative called NMITE Boost, to help support students with a host of added value initiatives, as we all find ourselves in the midst of the cost of living crisis.

Mary Kenyon-James, Head of Student Experience at NMITE said: "Establishing partnerships with local charities within the Herefordshire community, including The Living Room, Herefordshire Recycle and Reuse Group and Yeleni, has really supported us to make a difference to the lives of our students at NMITE.’

“At NMITE we are aware of a number of students taking on paid employment to supplement their income and whilst this could be considered a routine ‘expectation’ of student life at traditional universities; it comes with its additional challenges for students studying out our accelerated/fast tracked programmes. We are also aware of students using food banks and limiting engagement in social activities, so we wanted to launch NMITE Boost to give them that bit of extra support during these difficult financial times.

“On top of our Boost initiative, NMITE has extremely generous donors and this has led to every student currently studying at NMITE receiving a bursary, ranging between £2000 - £14,000 per student in any given year.”

• 6-weeks of full access to local complementary health centre – 20 therapies available across highly qualified therapists to regain your sense of health & wellbeing whilst relaxing in one of the tranquil treatment rooms

• Teamed up with Hereford reuse and recycle to offer crockery and cutlery for breakfast and developing a kitchen pack for students going into living accommodation to set them up with the crockery and cutlery they will need – sustainability element too of reusing, rather than the expense and environmental impact of buying new items

• Community larder at ‘The Living Room’ - people can sign up and make a payment of £5 per week to receive a bag of shopping (10 items of their choice from the larder). NMITE is covering the cost of the joining fee, plus up to 12 weeks of payments for students. NMITE will run this initiative twice (2 x 12 weeks)

• Rail travel – for those that commute, NMITE will reimburse their student railcard up to £30 per student

• Free Sunday lunches at The Wellington pub once a month for up to 30 students – first date 29th Jan

• Free daily breakfast provisions – fruit, cereal bars and toast being offered between 8.30-10am each day in the main hall dining area starting 16th January 2023

• Free monthly Friday Breakfast Club featuring hot food options

• Free period products

• Car drivers commuting to NMITE - £1 a day towards their parking

• Access through the MyNMITE portal to a wide range of student discounts

Plus, NMITE has extremely generous donors and this has led to every student currently studying at NMITE receiving a bursary, this has ranged between £2000 - £14,000 per student in any given year. More information on specific bursaries can be found here: nmite.ac.uk/scholarships-and-bursaries