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Culham supporting UTC Oxfordshire in training tomorrow’s innovators | 10/09/2015
Staff and pupils celebrated the opening of Oxfordshire's new specialist college for science and engineering this week.
UTC Oxfordshire, located at Didcot's Great Western Park, is being supported by Culham and other industrial partners in the area, who will help gear its courses and facilities towards the skills required by hi-tech employers.
The college already has 150 students and plans to expand to take 600 pupils between 14 and 19 years old. Oxfordshire's status as one of the UK's main centres of science and innovation is dependent on access to skilled young professionals and it is hoped that the UTC will help to provide them.
It is one of a series of University Technical Colleges around the country which aim to prepare students for the workplace with a ‘real world' environment and practical training while gaining the GCSEs and A-levels they would at school.
Culham's Operations Director David Martin said: “We have been working on the Project Steering Group to establish UTC Oxfordshire over the past 12 months, and it is rewarding to see the work resulting in the opening of the UTC on time. The college will bring a new approach to education in the 14 to 19 age group producing ‘work ready' STEM-focused individuals with strong practical skills already developed. I hope that these young people will contribute significantly towards our skills needs in the future.”
Owain Johns, Principal of UTC Oxfordshire, said: “We are extremely grateful for the support from our industry partners, who have already been instrumental in shaping our approach to the science and engineering curriculum at UTC Oxfordshire. It is only with their input that we can truly understand the technical and soft skills required by industry and equip our students for successful future careers.
“With our first term now underway we are highlighting to students that they have taken the first important step on their career pathway. The projects set by our partners, coupled with mentoring and unique industry insights, combine to offer an unparalleled experience of work for our young people.”
More information at: http://www.utcoxfordshire.org.uk/
