Doors open to Hull’s University Technical College

The Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), Hull and East Yorkshire’s first employer-led school and backed by the likes of Siemens and Smith & Nephew, has opened its doors.

The first students were greeted by principal Sarah Pashley and her staff as they entered the new building, which has been designed to replicate development processes in industry.

The UTC has been created to develop a new pipeline of young talent with advanced digital and engineering skills, with the £10m building, facilities, technology and curriculum all developed in partnership with some of the region’s leading employers.

Students will apply their academic learning to real-life projects set by the employer sponsors and study for professional qualifications in high demand by industry. They will also be supported by business mentors from the partner companies.

Pashley paid tribute to the school’s employer sponsors who she said had made a huge contribution to creating an entirely new model for education locally.

She said: “We’re really fortunate to have the support of so many great local employers and we simply couldn’t have got to this point without them.

“Their support has been amazing and they will continue to be deeply involved in creating a truly unique place to develop skills for fulfilling and rewarding careers in an ever-evolving digital world.
“Our vision is to unlock our students’ infinite potential to excel and enable them to get the edge in the competition for jobs and university places. By delivering on that vision we will also pay back our employer sponsors by supplying them with the talent they need to continue to innovate and grow.”

Ron Dearing UTC is backed by the University of Hull and its founding partner employers:
KCOM, the Hull-based communications and IT services provider;
RB, the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company, currently investing £105m in a new global Centre for Scientific Excellence in Hull.
Siemens Gamesa, which has invested in world-class wind turbine manufacturing, assembly and logistics operations in Hull;
Smith & Nephew, the global medical technology business with major manufacturing and research and development facilities in Hull;
Spencer Group, the Hull-based specialist engineering business.

It has also been supported by Hull City Council and has a range of other business sponsors, including major partners Arco, the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI), Fujitsu, Sewell Group and Sonoco Trident.