Member Article

University Technical College Sheffield opens to students

Wates Construction has completed Yorkshire and Humber’s first university technical college and it has opened its doors to students this week.

University Technical College (UTC) Sheffield has been handed over in time to welcome 240 new students for the start of the academic year beginning Monday September 9th.

The £9.9 million three-storey facility, on Shoreham Street, Sheffield city centre, is one of 12 new university technical colleges opening nationally this month.

In Sheffield City Region - the catchment area for UTC Sheffield - there is a shortage of skilled workers for the advanced engineering and manufacturing and the creative and digital industries, which are areas for growth regionally and nationally.

UTC Sheffield specialises in training 14 to 19-year-olds in the technical skills that employers need for the creative and digital industries, and the advanced engineering and manufacturing sectors.

Students complete a technical qualification in one of those subjects as well as traditional academic qualifications including GCSEs and A Levels. This year’s first intake comprises 138 Year 12, and 102 Year 10 students. Next year the number of student places will increase to 600 overall.

Richard Scarrott, Operations Director, Wates Construction, said: “Having been involved with so many of the region’s education facilities it has been a real privilege for Wates to build Yorkshire’s very first UTC. I’d like to thank our hard working site team whose commitment has enabled us to complete this important project in time for the start of the new academic year. I’m delighted to hand over this fantastic facility to its new owners and wish its first students every success with this innovative style of work-based learning.”

Nick Crew, Principal, UTC Sheffield, said: “I am delighted at now being in the UTC Sheffield building with the full staff team and our students. The building, resources and curriculum planning are extremely impressive and will help to have a real impact on the future region’s young people and economic growth in our two focus areas.”

Student Praise Ncube, 14, who is studying advanced engineering and manufacturing, wants to go into a career in prosthetics, which involves designing and manufacturing artificial limbs. She said: “It’s a unique form of education at the UTC Sheffield, and I chose to study here to learn more about working life, and better my prospects.”

Student Hannah Marrett, 15, who is studying creative and digital media, said: “I chose the UTC Sheffield because of the opportunities to develop creative and digital, and job related skills.”

The UTC Sheffield is fitted with £1 million of specialist equipment including engineering mini factories, Arduino and Raspberry Pi workshops for creating and testing technology and advanced Apple Mac design suites with the latest hardware.

It also has high tech studios for digital and creative media projects including music and sound technology, film, animation and photography, and a rooftop sports pitch to maximise space at its city centre location. The facility includes the refurbishment of the former Victorian Sydney Works building, formerly a silversmiths, and which will now house part of the creative and digital department.

More than 40 employers from both the advanced engineering and manufacturing, and the creative and digital media industries sectors, are backing UTC Sheffield in a range of ways. This includes providing sponsorship and work placements, and shaping the curriculum and its content by setting industry based projects.

Key supporters include Siemens, Newburgh Engineering, Rolls Royce, Sheffield Forgemasters, Tata Steel, the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, Performance Engineered Solutions, Team Cooper Games, Warp Films, Edumake technology, Resolve IT and Visionmix, and many more.

The UTC Sheffield is run by the UTC Sheffield Academy Trust. The UTC has been sponsored and led by The Sheffield College with Sheffield Hallam University and the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry as co-sponsors.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Christina Stocks .