UTC Pipeline Programme is training students for careers with industry leaders

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UTC Swindon has launched its NEW UTC Pipeline Programme for KS5 students, teaming up with leading industry experts, Fujitsu, Network Rail, Wiltshire Police and Japanese Automotive Manufacturer (Swindon), to run four pipeline days a year with students, to develop skills that young people need to succeed in the workplace.

UTC Swindon is part of the Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET), a leading education group with strong links to business. UTCs provide a technical education as well as core curriculum subjects like maths and English, and differ from secondary schools by working directly with employers to meet evolving industry demands.

Each industry partner will run four recruitment-focussed Pipeline Days this academic year with the UTCs’ Year 12 and 13 students. The programme is designed to develop a talent pipeline through students and employers working together on employability skills workshops, technical briefings and work placements.

By investing this way in the students’ development, employers can recruit more motivated, loyal and highly skilled talent on to apprenticeships or as graduates into their businesses.

The students gain by building their confidence and establishing trust and rapport with a network of industry contacts. They are given a clear line of sight to their career and can start to build the employability and technical skills needed to kick-start successful careers.

Michael Halliday, Business Relations Manager at UTC Swindon, UTC Reading and UTC Heathrow said: “This is a huge effort from our partners to fundamentally change the way recruitment is undertaken, particularly into apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. Our partners have each committed a minimum of 12 resource days to build relationships with students and to develop the skills needed by industry”.

He continues: “Feedback from the first Pipeline Day has already proved that the model is far more valuable to a student than traditional outreach activities, and this will enable us to refine the format of future Pipeline Days this year with our partners, to support our students in developing clear aspirations for careers within our specialisms”.