Schools Advice

New start for “vocational” schools

Pupils will be given the chance to transfer to a generation of new technical colleges at the age of 14 to train in subjects such as engineering, manufacturing, construction, business and computer science.

The schools – sponsored by companies such as British Airways, Ford, Warner Brothers, Balfour Beatty and Jaguar Land Rover – will aim to provide the skilled workers needed to drive the economy forward, according to the Government.

The Government announced that the number of so-called University Technical Colleges (UTCs) open or under-development is to almost double to 34.

By 2014, it is predicted that the schools will educate around 20,000 pupils in England aged 14 to 18.

Locations of some of the new UTC’s and their sponsors:

Warwick UTC – Jaguar Land Rover – engineering.
Heathrow UTC – British Airways, Virgin Atlantic – aviation engineering
Elstree UTC – Warner Brothers, Sony – entertainment technology
East London UTC – Ford Motor Company – engineering
UTC Bluewater – Eurostar, Bluewater – computer science, engineering
Energy Coast UTC – Nuclear Decommissioning Authority -energy, engineering
Norfolk UTC – Lotus Cars, East Anglian Offshore wind – energy, engineering
Liverpool Low Carbon UTC – Arup, Balfour Beatty Engineering – engineering, logistics

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