PES Performance has congratulated the UTC Sheffield City Centre on its ‘good’ grading by Ofsted in its latest inspection.
As one of the top performing institutions of its kind nationally, the flagship UTC recruits young people, aged 13 to 19, from across Sheffield City Region.
The UTC’s students complete technical qualifications in engineering and advanced manufacturing or creative and digital media, and GCSE and A Levels. They work on employer-led projects, developing skills related to their subject specialism as well as team working and problem solving.
The latest statistics show that 100% of students progressed onto university, employment or further training last year including high quality apprenticeships with employers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Boeing, British Aerospace and Amazon.
Dan Fleetcroft, Technical Director of Performance Engineered Solutions (PES) Ltd, is also Chair of Governors at UTC Sheffield City Centre, and said: “The UTC offers young people a great opportunity to develop the high-level technical skills that the engineering and creative and digital media industries need.
“Employers can see those benefits and the real advantages for them in the future, which is why so many local, national and international businesses form an integral part of the curriculum.
“As an employer partner, I have been involved in the development of the UTC from the start and I am honoured to be the Chair of Governors. The Ofsted grading is a fantastic endorsement of the UTC, which has stood the test of time and is becoming a beacon for technical skills development in the country.
“I am immensely proud of the continued hard work and commitment of the students, staff and governors who have made this achievement possible.”UTC Sheffield City Centre was the first UTC to open in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2013 and was previously graded Ofsted ‘good’ in 2016. Sheffield is the only city outside of London to have two UTCs. UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which specialises in computing, health sciences or sport science, was also graded ‘good’ in 2019.
The UTC is equipped with cutting edge industry standard facilities. Employers supporting the UTC include AESSeal, Bauer Media Group, Henry Boot Construction, Hive, Inspec Solutions, Lavender International, Rolls-Royce, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Live, the University of Sheffield, Siemens and Sumo Digital.
Richard Wright MBE, Chair of The Sheffield UTC Academy Trust, added: “Nearly 10 years ago Sheffield made a large commitment by opening the UTC to develop high quality vocational based education routes right through to degree level.
“This latest grading is a real measure of the commitment and dedication of the staff, students, partners and employers over a long period, and the benefit to the whole of the region is immense.
“During its time, all the UTCs students have gone on to positive destinations no matter what background they have come from and feedback from employers on the quality of the students entering their employment from the UTC is tremendous. I am very proud of what we have achieved, and so should everybody involved be.”
UTCs are government funded technical schools that provide academic and technical qualifications to match the skills needs of regional employers, supporting economic growth and employment. Young people can join the UTC in Year 9 at the age of 13 or in Year 12 at the age of 16. Find out more at www.utcsheffield.org.uk