A university technical college is a government funded school with a STEM focus.
They provide a unique and relevant approach to education which addresses the changing needs of students and employers in the 21st century. Original established by companies and universities, UTCs provide sought after technical qualifications and benefit from industry standard equipment and specialist staff to provide students with the skills valued by employers.
A university technical college is not a university; it is a school for 14-19 year old students wishing to focus on a specialist pathway.
The curriculum pathways which include digital technology, health sciences and engineering prepare you for further education, apprenticeships or directly into employment, having already acquired knowledge and skills directly linked to your chosen career and sought after by employers.
The mission is to provide young people with a relevant education in a fast-changing world, and provide employers with the skilled workforce needed for UK industry to thrive. We offer young people the education they need today to equip them for tomorrow’s careers.
The Challenge which UTCs are addressing:
Widening skills gap
Between 2011 and 2015, the UKCES Employer Skills Survey estimated that the number of vacancies due to skills shortages had more than doubled from 91,000 to 209,000. The numbers will now be much higher and this problem will only continue to grow unless we do something to plug the gap and provide the skilled workers employers need.
Skills mismatch
The CIPD’s 2018 report, ‘Over-skilled and underused’ found that 37% of workers have the skills to cope with more demanding duties, and that 12% lacked the skills needed to carry out their current job effectively. This suggests a skills mismatch – the UK is producing highly trained people but not in the areas where industry desperately needs technical skills.
Digital revolution
The ‘linear thinking’ skills prioritised by the current school system are precisely those that algorithms are able to perform much more quickly, profoundly and reliably than humans. The digital revolution will eliminate the need for these skills, placing a greater importance on transferable and digital skills.
The solution
UTCs provide a bridge between the world of education and the world of work, training young people in the technical entrepreneurial skills and personal and collaborative skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace.
Each UTC works with a network of local industry partners design a learning programme which covers not only the core curriculum of English, Maths, and Sciences, but also sought-after technical qualifications taught by specialist staff with industry standard equipment.
The UTC programme has a strong emphasis on employer engagement including real-life project-based learning, which engages students and develops their personal attributes. On leaving a UTC, students have already established connections with employers, have applied practical skills through project-based learning and are used to working in a professional environment.
This makes them highly employable and sets them up for a broad choice of pathways at 18 – whether that’s going to university, higher and degree apprenticeships, or directly into a career. The impressive track record of student destinations after leaving UTCs is testament to the quality of this distinctive educational experience.
The Baker Dearing Trust supports and promotes the development of UTCS with a stated ambition :
Baker Dearing’s mission is to provide all young people with a relevant, career-focused education in a fast-changing world, and, in doing so, to provide employers with the skilled workforce needed for UK industry to thrive. Our priorities are focused on achieving this aim.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of practical STEM skills, and has accelerated the need for technicians with digital skills. A UTC education is now more relevant than ever.