IN relation to 'No maths?' published on February 3.

Dr Breeze pours scorn on NMITE, Hereford’s new engineering university, for not demanding Maths and Physics A-levels from its entrants, but he is unfair.

Thirty years ago, advising students about their A-level choices, I told anyone thinking of doing engineering at university that they must indeed take those two subjects.

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Today, however, although we may not have a shortage of native talent, we do have a shortage both of Maths and Physics teachers in schools and of engineers in industry.

So how do we reach the untapped talent?

One way is to teach would-be engineers who lack Maths and Physics, through a series of carefully graded projects with local industries, the completion of which obliges students to acquire the necessary theoretical understanding as well as practical skills.

NMITE’s new approach, as I understand it, is to use hands-on experience to teach the theory in an intensive course without the traditional long vacations, thus providing us with some of the engineers we desperately need.

My father needed to pass Latin as well before taking his engineering degree, but entry requirements change with changing times!

RICHARD WILLMOTT

Hereford

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