Siemens Announced as Black Country UTC Partner

Leading global engineering company Siemens officially announced their backing of the new Black Country University Technical College (UTC) during a stakeholder seminar on Monday 24th January at Walsall College’s Jerome’s Restaurant.

Opening in September 2011, The Black Country UTC is one of the first of a new breed of schools across the country, offering Year 10 and Sixth Form pupils the chance to gain the qualifications and skills required for an exciting and rewarding career in a range of industries, relating to engineering and science. Supported by expert staff, state of the art facilities and extensive industry and business links, this innovative new school will create the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Attended by 70 industry representatives, the ‘Engineering Our Future Seminar’ was an opportunity for key partners and stakeholders for the UTC to share their vision for the innovative new school and discuss ideas and opportunities for further development. Guest speakers on the day included Amarjit Basi, Principal and Chief Executive of Walsall College; Brian Holliday, Divisional Director of Siemens UK; Stylli Charalampous, Joint Manager of 16+ Teaching for The Royal Academy of Engineering and Henriette Harnisch, Deputy Director of Education Partnerships at the University of Wolverhampton.

University Technical Colleges are a new concept in education. They allow 14 -19 year olds to take a highly regarded technical course of study, at a specialist college equipped to the highest standards. UTCs are sponsored by a university or college of further education, with clear progression routes into higher education or further learning in work. The active involvement of key business and industry partners is vital to the success of UTCs, ensuring the knowledge and skills students gain fully meet the demands of industry.

As a leading global engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges across the key industrial sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. They will play a major role in the new school, providing support in curriculum design and delivery; specialist equipment and resources; opportunities for work placements; guest speakers and master classes; a potential for a technologies showcase based at the UTC; and possible staff/student exchanges through the Siemens Academy in Berlin.

Brian Holliday, Divisional Director for Siemens UK said: “UTCs create a route for technician engineers with practical skills that can be more readily used in the workplace. They give students an early career focus to help engender engineering aspiration through specialist teaching and equipment. Siemens UK fully supports the UTC ethos and vision and is delighted to support the forthcoming Black Country UTC, investing in the skills of the future”.

Brian added: “This is a very important development and I would urge local companies, including those involved in the Siemens supply chain, to get actively involved in the Black Country UTC by offering support in any way they can, including scholarship opportunities”.

Amarjit Basi, Principal and Chief Executive of Walsall College commented: “We are extremely pleased to have Siemens and other leading engineering companies, such as National Grid and Chamberlin plc on board with the formation and development of the new Black Country UTC. Working alongside leading engineering businesses and organisations will ensure the curriculum offered is focused on the key demands of industry, giving students the skills which are in high demand with employers.

“Furthermore the Black Country UTC has partnered with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, in order to provide professional accreditation to students. All the students enrolling with our UTC will be registered as Young Engineers, a programme which maps to the IMechE professional accreditation system. As a consequence our students will graduate at the age of 18 or 19 with letters after their name. This is a really exciting step towards finally achieving parity between vocational disciplines and academic education.”