News | UT Colleges

UTC Amazon Challenge Day

On Wednesday 8th March around 200 students from four UTCs – Greater Peterborough UTC, UTC Swindon, Aylesbury UTC and Abbeywood Community School (Engineering Academy) – joined in with an Amazon UK Challenge Day. Each UTC was visited by a team from local Amazon Fulfilment Centres, made up of Apprentices, Apprentice Managers and Reliability Maintenance Engineers, who supported the students with their designs and prototype builds of lockers to allow drone delivery of packages. The brief was given via live video link from Project Management Apprentice Sophie Newbery and Apprenticeship Programme Senior Manager at Amazon UK…

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First UTC APEX conference brings together industry partners, students and staff in digital and health

On Thursday 9th February, 130 students from 4 University Technical Colleges (UTCs) came together for the first UTC APEX (Advanced Patient Experience) conference hosted by Derby Pride Park UTC. This conference explored the intersection between Healthcare Science and Digital Technology, particularly how technology can be utilized by healthcare professionals to improve patient care and outcomes. Both Digital and Healthcare sectors are growth industries, with numerous employment opportunities and career paths. The technologies that enable better health outcomes for citizens can be used in many circumstances and help bring to life the link between technology and…

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University Technical Colleges gathering support to create new hubs of technical education excellence

A leading education charity is gathering support for expanding a new technical education pathway within existing schools, based on the successful University Technical College (“UTC”) model. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which supports around 50 UTCs across the country, has launched a consultation on the UTC Sleeve initiative, seeking support from stakeholders that will reinforce the trust’s advocacy for the initiative with the Department for Education. Sleeves are designed to provide a technical education curriculum, built by employers and incorporating both technical and workplace skills such as communication and team-working, for students aged between 14…

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Baker Dearing launches the ‘Founding 20’ board for young women and non-binary UTC students

In September 2022 Baker Dearing Educational Trust offered young women and non-binary students from across the 47 UTCs nationally to apply to join the ‘Founding 20’ – a student board to represent the voices of young women and non-binary students at UTCs. Twenty students from eight UTCs were appointed to the inaugural board and met in November via Zoom to discuss the aims and goals of the board. In December 2022 they were invited to the Autodesk Technology Centre in Birmingham to meet members of the Diversity and Inclusion Board at the company and to…

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Dyson Institute for Engineering and Technology Insight Day for Year 13 UTC students

On 30th November 2022, twelve students from six UTCs had the opportunity to visit the Dyson Institute for Engineering and Technology in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. The students from Abbeywood Community School (Engineering Academy), Aston University Engineering Academy, London Design and Engineering UTC, UTC Oxfordshire, UTC Portsmouth and UTC South Durham, were given a tour of the campus, including the high-end accommodation offered to students at the Institute, and were walked through the application process for the Institute. The UTC visitors met current students, including a number of impressive alumni from UTCs, and heard first hand about…

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GCSE results day: New analysis reveals design and technology student numbers have fallen by up to 71 per cent since the Conservatives came to power

71 per cent fewer students are sitting GCSE design and technology than in 2010 41 per cent fewer young people are taking the subject at A-level The number of young women studying IT up to A-level has declined by a third The number of students taking design and technology at GCSE and A-level has fallen off a cliff, with 71 per cent fewer GCSE candidates than when the Conservatives came to power, a leading education charity has found. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which supports around 50 University Technical Colleges delivering technical and academic options,…

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A-levels 2022: University Technical College leavers choose degree apprenticeships over traditional HE courses

Students leaving University Technical Colleges with top A-level and vocational results this summer are opting to enrol on apprenticeship courses with small businesses and multinational corporations rather than university-based courses, a leading education charity has found. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which supports around 50 technical education-focused University Technical Colleges, has also highlighted the successes UTC leavers have seen getting into top Russell Group universities. This is after widespread expectations that students would have a tougher time this year getting universities, especially top-tier institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick. Half of the 128 Year…

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University Technical Colleges: The First Ten Years

New non-fiction title from David Harbourne is an “excellent insight” into the first ten years of University Technical Colleges. The book, published by University of Buckingham Press, was released on 7th March 2022 and contains an afterword by Lord Baker. The former Secretary of State for Education, Lord Baker, crossbench peer Lord Dearing and industrialist Sir Anthony Bamford shared a vision. They imagined a new type of secondary school that would prepare young people for careers in science, technology and engineering. University Technical Colleges (UTCs) offer a curriculum linked to key sectors of the economy…

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