Member Article

Go-ahead given for £10m Warrington UTC

Warrington is to be the site for a new £10 million University Technical College (UTC).

The UTC will offer specialisms in engineering and nuclear energy and be open to students from across the region spanning Liverpool to Manchester – not just the Warrington area.

The college is sponsored by the University of Chester with support from Warrington Borough Council and local employers including Sellafield Ltd, Tenet, Nuvia and AMEC. These organisations will play a major role in helping to shape the curriculum and relate it to future jobs that match the needs of the local economy. In turn, students will acquire the skills and knowledge that are in demand from employers.

The new facility, which will open in September 2015, will be a key component in the regeneration and renaissance of Warrington’s town centre. It will be situated at the heart of Warrington’s ambitious Stadium Quarter regeneration project; a £190 million mixed use development comprising educational, office, leisure and residential uses.

The Stadium Quarter is a 90 acre site situated in the heart of Warrington’s town centre which sits between the Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium and the bus interchange immediately opposite Warrington Central railway station.

Professor Peter Harrop, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Provost of the University’s Warrington Campus said: “The University of Chester has had a presence in Warrington for over 10 years.

“The UTC builds on that presence and offers an excellent fit with the findings of the Warrington Skills Commision as well as our new Faculty of Science and Engineering at Thornton. This is joined-up educational planning, clearly linked to the Warrington economic strategy.”

Councillor Terry O’Neill, Leader of Warrington Borough Council said: “This is a fabulous coup for the town. Warrington excels in the nuclear and engineering sectors. The UTC will train, equip and prepare young people for careers in these sectors, address the skills gap and so grow and protect the future of these sectors in the town.

“The announcement also provides the trigger that kick-starts development on our Stadium Quarter site and the ongoing renaissance of our town centre.

“On a regional and national scale it will attract greater investment to the borough and North West as a whole as employers will want to be based where the much-needed skill set is available.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .