Dear Sir, I was delighted to hear Teresa May’s speech on the Government’s industrial strategy today. The importance of engineering and manufacturing to the country’s economic growth and jobs is frequently overlooked and it’s excellent to hear that the Prime Minister both values industry and is looking at long term planning. The focus on the North East as a region of growth for advanced manufacturing is very welcome; there are many wonderful manufacturing companies which are thriving here, though perhaps they don’t get the recognition that they deserve for their innovation and leadership in their sectors. The base is certainly there for significant expansion. Technical education is at the heart of a successful long term industrial plan and it’s already happening! A large number of companies are focusing on giving a great start to young people through University Technical Colleges. There are 50 across the country and UTC South Durham, on the Aycliffe Business Park, is the first in the North East.
It opened in September 2016 and provides an innovative education for 14 – 19 year olds. Students have joined from 29 different schools from across 5 counties and study GCSEs or A-levels alongside technical engineering qualifications. Crucially, they also spend valuable time visiting companies, on placements and engaged in industry-led projects. There is no reason why young people can’t study academic qualifications alongside real, practical experiences. The UTC is open to any young person who is interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and we have spaces in Years 10 and 12 for this September. Businesses are working with us because they want to employ bright young people; we will provide the talent and skills that they say is lacking in applicants for jobs.
But how can we expect a teenager to make good decisions about future career direction unless we give them direct experiences of the types of jobs and organisations they can work for. Until we do that consistently both employers and employees will be guessing in the recruitment process. We are yet to see the detail of the industrial strategy. The technical institutes will only be successful if they are integrated with the rest of the education system and properly funded for the long term. But this is a welcome step in the right direction.
