New Humber UTC welcomes Lord Baker visit

Lord Baker, Chair of the Baker Dearing Trust, will visit Scunthorpe to see the facility for 14 to 19 year olds. It specialises in engineering and renewables, alongside other key subjects.

During his visit, Lord Baker will talk to students and staff, and be shown around the building. Over the next four years it is hoped the UTC will create 600 student places.

It works using a partnership between the business sector, leading education providers and public organisations including North Lincolnshire Council, aiming to prepare young people from the Isle and all over the region for the world of work, with technical skills and opportunities to gain employment with the partners.

The BAE Systems Training Academy that opened at Humberside Airport on October 29 this year will take 15 students each year directly from the Humber UTC as apprentice technicians, giving them the chance of a lifetime to work on air force bases across the globe, once trained.

Andrew Downing, Principal, Humber UTC, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Lord Baker of Dorking. It is the first time he will have seen the building completed and operational with students engaging in this state of the art engineering environment; the staff and students are excited to share this with him and to see his reaction.

“We have been open now for two months and students and teaching staff are settling in very well. The Humber UTC gives students a technical pathway where they have access to programmes of study that truly engage their talents, stretch and enthuse them and prepare them for further learning, work and apprenticeships.

“The unique nature of the UTC provides our students with a wealth of opportunities to gain hands-on practical experience with experts in the relevant industries, including our college sponsors. The Humber UTC will prepare young people for a promising future career in engineering and renewables.”

Coun Liz Redfern, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “It is great that Lord Baker is visiting the Humber UTC. He has been instrumental in the project from the start to bring to Scunthorpe the region’s first University Technical College. The Government has shown tremendous commitment by continuing to invest in education in North Lincolnshire.

She continued: “The Humber UTC is a fantastic facility that gives students a great opportunity to gain valuable skills that are in short supply. What is unique about the UTC is that top businesses and education partners from across the region set and deliver the curriculum, so students get to work with top businesses such as Able UK, who are currently building a major marine energy park close by.

“They will need highly skilled people to make it a success. Then there’s the new BAE Systems Training Academy where BAE Systems have agreed to take 15 students each year direct from the UTC. This will give them the chance of an exciting career with the company. The opportunities are endless.”