ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

include Microsoft, Fuijitsu, AllCooper, Babcock MSS, Delphi, GE Aviation, Cyber Security Associates, Impcross, LB Bentley, National Biodiversity Network, Kier and Versarien. “Together we set project work and students are allocated plenty of time to work on challenges set for them.”

The English secondary education system has long been largely one-size-fits-all. Pupils enter the system at 11 years old and exit at 16 with a clutch (or not) of GCSEs, or at 18 with A Levels and perhaps higher education ambitions.

But as the world changes, this cookiecutter approach suits fewer and fewer employers. Tony Blair’s 1999 commitment to get more than 50 per cent of students into university now seems outdated. In our digitally-enabled world, computers are increasingly taking over the grunt work that human beings have done for centuries.

According to the Baker Dearing Trust, which supports the government-funded University Technical Colleges (UTCs) launched in 2010, education should focus on active learning, technical entrepreneurial skills, personal and collaborative skills. In other words, while knowledge remains necessary, it is no longer enough.

UTCs work with local employers in a project-based learning approach and focus on technical subjects. Today, there are 48 UTCs across England, educating around 16,000 students from 14-18 years old, supported by more than 400 employers and universities.

By recruiting from age 14, UTCs offer a fresh start for many young people in a smaller school environment.

Stephen Miles is the Deputy CEO at the SGS Academy Trust, which is responsible for a number of schools and colleges across Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. In 2017 it opened the county’s first UTC at Berkeley Green near

Gloucester which currently has around 300 students studying digital technologies, cyber security and engineering.

“We attract students from a wide area, with some prepared to travel up to an hour and a half each way to attend,” he said.

“It is a fantastic environment. The UTC was built for the specialisms we offer. We didn’t put ceiling tiles in the corridors so the students can see all the wiring, we don’t have a uniform and our school day is from 9am to 4.20pm, which better reflects the world of work.”

There is a huge demand for the subjects taught by Berkeley Green UTC, and the college has the facilities to teach them well. “We have a Security Operation Centre where our students can practise hacking and phishing without disrupting our IT network,” said Stephen. “We work with the National Cyber Security Centre and have links to GCHQ. Getting a job there is very difficult and we are proud that last year three of our students did.”

Berkeley Green UTC involves employers as much as possible. Currently these

Stephen is a convert to this practical education. “My own specialism is English, but not every young person is as excited by literature as I am, and if we can provide a place for them to explore their passions, we’ve done a good job. The raison d’être of our Trust is social mobility and the more opportunities there are for students to take a path that suits them, the better.”

A third of students leaving Berkeley Green UTC have gone on to university, a further third secured apprenticeships.

“For years employers have said that education doesn’t properly prepare students for work,” said Stephen. “Working with us is a partnership. We don’t just want their name associated with the college, we ask them to design projects for our students, to input into our curriculum and offer extended work experience.”

University Technical Colleges in this region include:

Bristol Technology & Engineering Academy

Buckinghamshire UTC

UTC Oxfordshire

UTC Reading

SGS Berkeley Green UTC Gloucestershire

UTC Swindon

WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Coventry and Solihull