AYCLIFFE TODAY MONTHLY | 7
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NEWS BRIEFS
SUFFERING BULL TERRIER
FOUND IN AYCLIFFE
UTC FOR AYCLIFFE GETS NOD
The
Government
has
confirmed the first Universal
Technical College (UTC) for the
North-East will be in Newton
Aycliffe.
South Durham UTC, sponsored by
the University of Sunderland, Hitachi
Rail Europe and Gestamp Tallent, will
cater for 600 students and specialise
in
engineering
and
advanced
manufacturing on Aycliffe Business
Park in County Durham.
Thousands more places offering
specialist, technical education are
to be created after proposals for
seven new UTCs and four new studio
schools nationally were announced
by Chancellor George Osborne on
Tuesday.
The new schools, backed by local
businesses and universities, will
provide more than 5,000 places (when
full) for 14- to 19-year-olds up and
down the country.
The schools will offer a more
technical
or
vocational
based
education using curricula developed
in partnership with universities and
employers.
This will ensure students are
developing the skills needed in a
particular region or sector.
The latest approvals mean that all
open UTCs or studio schools, or those
approved to open, now offer in total
places for more than 50,000 young
people, allowing them to train for
careers that are key to the economy,
such as engineering and science.
The new schools will work with
more than 40 major national and
local employers including Jaguar
Land Rover, Dyson and Kew Botanical
Gardens.
In addition, seven universities will
work alongside the new UTCs to
provide the next generation of school
leavers with the technical knowledge
and other skills that industry demands.
Darren Cumner, Manufacturing Plant
Manager at Hitachi’s Aycliffe site,
said: “Sunderland University, Hitachi
Rail Europe and Gestamp Tallent are
delighted that our joint application for
a UTC has been successful.
“We are keen to interest young
people in engineering and technical
professions and we believe that a UTC
is an excellent way of doing so from
an early age.
“Through the co-operation of these
three organisations, we believe that
we can provide a real insight into
engineering and technical professions
coupled with an excellent academic
background.
“This paves the way for students to
discover their own path into a career
in engineering, either through an
apprenticeship or further studies once
they graduate from the UTC.”
UTCs, the first