University Technical Colleges

The 14-16 funding gap is holding back technical education

The industrial strategy promises to boost skills in key sectors. But while post-16 technical courses get extra funding, pre-16 technical education is left behind. It’s time for more fairness in the funding system

A new hope for UTCs

Despite being written off as a failure by Michael Gove, Baker Dearing CEO Kate Ambrosi believes university technical colleges are perfectly placed to meet Labour’s skills goals

Did failed Greater Manchester UTC get ‘free pass’ despite warnings?

The viability of the failed Greater Manchester university technical college was questioned by government officials even before it opened, but ministers still allowed the project to proceed, new documents have revealed. Correspondence seen by our sister paper FE Week shows Department for Education bosses believed the state-of-the-art UTC, which cost £9 million to build, would […]

UTC founds feeder school against Baker trust’s wishes

A university technical college that has struggled to recruit students is opening an 11-14 feeder school next door. This comes despite opposition from opposition from the Baker Dearing Trust, responsible for overseeing all UTCs. The school, which will be called ‘the Inspiration Academy@Leigh UTC’ will open in September, operating on the same plot of land […]

Failed UTC site used as cheap accommodation

Young professionals are living in a disused Walsall university technical college site, after the 14-19 institution was forced to closed in April last year. Black Country UTC was one of the first of its kind when it opened in 2011, but low student numbers, financial challenges, and poor Ofsted results were said to be behind […]