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Political matters
UTC facts and figures
First UTC was the The JCB Academy
17 UTCs are open offering 3000 places
50 UTCs to be open by 2016 offering 30,000 places
Backed by nearly 50 universities and 500+
employers
UTC governance
A UTC is operated by a company limited by
guarantee, commonly referred to as an “academy
trust”. Academy trusts which operate academies
(including UTCs) are exempt charities, which means
that they are still subject to charity law principles
but they are not registered directly with the Charity
Commission. Their Principal Regulator for charity
purposes is instead the Department for Education.
The Governors are responsible for the overall
management of the academy trust and are
also “directors” for company law purposes and
“trustees” from a charity law perspective. The UTC
Articles of Association require that the Governors
appointed by the Members must include nominees
of the Employer(s) and University(ies), and these
nominees must form a majority of the total number
of Governors. This is one of the defining features of
UTCs. Two parent governors and the Principal are
also on the Governing Body.
Together with nearly 50 universities they
have given their time, their insights and
their technical expertise to direct the
curriculum of individual UTCs. More
than this, they also step into classrooms,
mentor and inspire students, and make
sure young people are well prepared to
succeed in vital technical industries.
Engineering students at Royal
Greenwich UTC are working with
Transport for London and Network Rail
to understand how to build the railways of
the future; young motor racing engineers
learn their craft with the help of McLaren
at the Silverstone UTC; and students at
Bucks UTC are personally mentored by
the CEO of Taylor Wimpey.
Set for success
Across the country parents are
understandably anxious about the
impact of youth unemployment on
their children’s future job opportunities.
The fact that UTCs offer close links
with employers who, in turn, provide
mentoring, work placements and
practical advice is highly attractive.
And results from the first UTC, The
JCB Academy in Staffordshire, suggest
that they are set to be hugely successful.
As well as an 88% pass rate in GCSE
maths and outstanding results in the
engineering diploma, every single leaver
went on to further or higher education,
apprenticeship or employment. There
were no NEETs, itself a remarkable
achievement. Little wonder that Prime
Minister David Cameron has recently
said, “Let’s have one of these colleges in
every single major town”.
Thousands of students are now choosing
to study at a UTC and by 2016 there will be
50 UTCs with more are in the pipeline.
As I visit these impressive institutions
I ask students if they feel they have made
the right choice. All emphatically say
“yes”. It is this ringing endorsement
from 14-18 year olds and the support we
have from employers and universities
that gives me so much pride in UTCs.
Together we are actively addressing youth
unemployment and the skills gap.
Summer 2014 | 37