Following the success of the first UTC Warrington Student Ambassador meeting held in April, Principal, Mr Barber was keen to meet with students again to get their input on some key elements of the college currently under consideration as we edge ever closer to opening. Continue Reading
Tuesday 26th April saw us host our very first student Ambassadors meeting here at UTC HQ.
UTC Warrington are extremely excited to welcome Stanley Black & Decker’s, Stanley Engineered Fastening on board as the latest addition to our already impressive list of employer partners. Continue Reading
With the UTC Warrington application deadline fast approaching, Principal, Mr Barber is keen to remind prospective students from across Warrington and the surrounding areas about the fantastic courses and opportunities the college has on offer. Continue Reading
The precast concrete cores and lift shafts have been fully completed with the top sections visible from Winwick Quay, Golden Square shopping centre and further afield. Continue Reading
The first of the two precast concrete stair and lift cores have now been completed and work is well under way on the second of the precast cast stair cores which will form the main stairway to the upper floors of the UTC building.
A large 200 Ton crane has been set up on site to lift the larger sections that form the second stair core. The next stage will see structural steel plates being welded to the pre-fitted components within the concrete sections, which create the final connection points for the eagerly awaited steel frame. This phase of work will be completed by the middle of next week enabling the structural steel frame to then be erected.
The erection of the stair and lift cores and the installation of the connecting precast concrete stairway has continued this week. The first of the two stair cores and lift shafts are up to the fifth floor and the capping slabs which will complete this section of work are on site and ready to be lifted into position on Monday following the delivery and set up of a larger crane 200Ton.
We received a visit this week from former Conservative Education Secretary and UTC champion Lord Baker as he attended the site of Warrington’s new University Technical College on Dallam Lane in Warrington town centre.
As co-founder and Chairman of the Baker Dearing Trust, (an educational trust that was set up in 2009 to promote the establishment of University Technical Colleges in England), the purpose of Lord Baker’s visit was two-fold; to see Warrington’s new cutting edge educational institution, that when it opens to students in September 2016 will specialise in engineering and energy, and secondly to meet and present to a number of the UTC’s employment partners and prospective students.
During his visit Lord Baker met with the UTC’s employment partners, including representatives from Sellafield Ltd, Manchester Metropolitan University, Atkins, Nuvia, Tenet Consultants, Warrington & Co, Flamefast, National Nuclear Laboratories, National Decommissioning Authority and ISG.
Lord Baker meets Steve Park from Warrington & Co and John Patterson from Sellafield Ltd
Lord Baker then took part in an open discussion with the employment partners about the benefits and opportunities that UTCs can provide to students in preparing them for the world of work and in working towards achieving productive careers. This was then followed by a meet and greet session with a small number of prospective students.
Of his meeting with Lord Baker, Year 9 student Christopher Hankey said “Lord Baker is really inspirational, he has worked with so many really important people throughout his career. He explained why it was a good choice to make, and how going to the UTC will be important for us later in life because of how the world around us and technology is advancing so quickly.”
Whilst Year 9 student Georgia Bowker said” Meeting Lord Baker was an amazing opportunity. It really gave me an insight into everything the UTC offers, it was also really interesting to hear about the successful previous UTC students”.
With the launch of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust Lord Baker pioneered the idea of “career colleges” that would provide technical education for 14 – 19 years, enabling them to access training and educational in a wide range of subjects including construction, healthcare, catering with many UTCs, such as Warrington, specialising in the “STEM” core subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Construction of the new £10 million, 620-place UTCW began in July 2015 following the approval in March from parliamentary Under-Secretary, Lord Nash. Located in the heart of Warrington within the Stadium Quarter, UTCW will have excellent access to rail and bus networks. Completion of the build is scheduled for the summer of 2016.
UTCW is sponsored by Manchester Metropolitan University and local employers. UTCW will specialise in energy and engineering and will offer an outstanding opportunity for the young people of Warrington and the wider region to work with major energy and engineering employers based in the town, including Sellafield Ltd, Amec Foster Wheeler, Tenet Consultants, Nuvia, Atkins, National Nuclear Laboratories and Flamefast.
Lord Baker meets Cllr Terry O’Neill
The aim of UTCW is to integrate technical, practical and academic learning and create an environment where students can thrive and develop the abilities that industry needs. As international, national, regional and local employers, the industrial sponsors will play a major role, helping to shape the curriculum and relate it to future jobs that match the needs of the local economy. In turn, students will acquire the skills and knowledge that are in demand from employers along with having access to the latest equipment and technology used in industry.
Speaking about his visit to University Technical College Warrington Lord Baker said: “This was a wonderful opportunity to visit the UTC Warrington site. Next time I visit I am looking forward to seeing the completed facility and meeting the students. UTC’s prepare the students for work, teaching skills that mix the brain and the hand. Students leave work ready. Of the 1700 students in the UK who graduated this year 99 – 100% have now found employment”.
UTCs are a relatively new concept in education, offering a safe, high quality, technically-orientated curriculum for 14-19 year olds in an environment where young people are encouraged to follow their interests and to develop them into engineering-related skills and qualifications. At least 40% of the time spent by students at UTCW will be dedicated to the technical specialisms of energy and engineering including design and building, working in teams and problem solving.
Principal and Chief Executive of UTCW, Lee Barber said: “Today’s visit from Lord Baker to University Technical College Warrington has been invaluable as we have heard how UTC’s are already impacting the lives of young people across the country. As a champion of the UTC concept Lord Baker outlined the importance of learning skills in technical subjects to provide young people with a greater confidence in finding employment after education.”
Cllr Terry O’Neill, Principal and Chief Executive Lee Barber and Lord Baker
UTCW will offer its students clear progression routes into higher education, apprenticeships or full time employment. By working closely with local employers UTCW will offer students, as part of their studies, regular opportunities to connect with local businesses through work experience, technical projects and masterclasses.
The UTC will be a key component in the regeneration and renaissance of Warrington’s town centre. The facility will be situated at the heart of Warrington’s ambitious Stadium Quarter regeneration project; a £190 million mixed use development comprising educational, office, leisure and residential uses.
On the construction site at UTC Warrington
The 150 tonne crane and the first of the precast concrete stair cores, stairs and lift shaft sections arrived on site early Monday morning as expected. However, the first of this seasons storms named ‘Abigail’ has delayed some of the lifts due to the wind speeds.
Wednesday and Thursday’s improved weather conditions allowed our lifting operations to commence and by Thursday afternoon 3 stair core sections, 2 shaft lift sections and 2 flights of concrete stairs had been erected.
Here at UTC Warrington we recognise the importance of familiarising our students with Chinese cultural and linguistic practice. As a college specialising in engineering we know that many of our students will be required to work closely with organisations in the Far East as they move forward in their engineering careers.
Early on in curriculum planning our employer partners were keen to ensure that Mandarin was included within the curriculum at UTC Warrington, as they can see the benefits not only to students but to their businesses as they look toward the future when UTC Warrington students become part of their own businesses.
Ahead of opening in September 2016 we are building links with the Confucius Institute at Manchester University which will provide our students with some fantastic opportunities to gain an insight into the Chinese culture whilst also learning the language.
By September 2016, through Confucius Institute UTC Warrington will be linked to a number of schools in China, which in time will lead to exchange student opportunities for our students to further develop their cultural knowledge and language skills.
