Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock follows constructor Brett Lloyd up a temporary staircase of the new RN-backed college in Portsmouth which will deliver the engineers of tomorrow.
The Royal Navy’s head of personnel, training and infrastructure was shown the progress made on the city’s University Technical College taking shape in the northern suburb of Hilsea.
The £10m three-storey building will welcome its first students in September with the emphasis on teaching them electrical and mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing, alongside core GCSE subjects for 14 to 16 year-olds and a range of options including Level 3 engineering NVQs and A Levels for those over 16.
After 21 weeks of construction, Vice Admiral Woodcock found the steel frame of the college erected, the pre-cast concrete floors nearing completion, the ground floor is being poured and the external cladding fitted. Come week 53 in July, the building will be handed over to the UTC and two months later students will file through its doors.
Admissions for Year 10 (first year GCSE) have closed; they were over-subscribed by more than 50 per cent. Year 12 admissions will be open until January 15; 100 places are up for grabs.
The college combines the talent and expertise of the RN, University of Portsmouth, Salterns Academy Trust and Portsmouth City Council.
It will work closely with the Royal Navy to offer project-based, practical training to its students, using real-life projects that stretch pupils’ technical skills and creative thinking, thus helping to forge young people with many of the skills and know-how needed by the 21st-Century Fleet.
“It is incredibly rewarding to be seeing the progress on the building; it is really starting to take shape now,” said Lt Cdr Fiona Haynes, the project manager.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our intakes of sixth form and year 10 students next September ready to begin their pathways to a career in engineering.”
For more information, see www.utcportsmouth.org
