UTC Swindon will be expanding its digital curriculum with courses, facilities and partners that will give students a unique advantage in digital and cyber security careers.
From September 2018, four new courses will be available to support the Digital Technologies Specialism, launched earlier this year. This week UTC Swindon also launched its new Fujitsu Innovation Hub, giving students access to fantastic digital facilities to learn in.
Since opening in 2014, the UTC has specialised in engineering, taught alongside the national curriculum. Computing and programming have always been a part of the core syllabus but now UTC Swindon has expanded the courses, facilities and partners it offers to cover all aspects of digital technologies and cyber security.
NEW courses
The BTEC Tech Award in Digital Information Technology enables Year 10 students to explore the digital technology sector while developing technical skills, techniques and planning a digital solution for a digital problem. The course also helps students develop an understanding of cyber security and the importance of legal and ethical considerations when using modern technologies.
The three other courses will be available for Year 12 students. The BTEC Level 3 National Certificate /Extended Certificate in Information Technology is an Applied General qualification, equivalent to up to two A Levels and designed for learners who are interested in an introduction to creating IT systems to manage and share information, with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses/apprenticeships.
The Foundation Technical Level Award in Cyber Security is a technical qualification aimed at 16 to 18-year-old learners who are seeking to develop skills and access a range of cyber security roles in a variety of employer settings.
Finally, the A Level Computer Science is aimed at students who are excited about learning how to code and how computers work, offering a range of dynamic practical skills, an emphasis on coding using C#, theoretical knowledge of programming, data structures, algorithms and computation.
As part of its digital curriculum expansion, UTC Swindon will introduce the Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification. The certification is positioned to become the premier credential for individuals seeking to explore and pursue a career using Microsoft technology, or to augment related pursuits such as business or other fields where technology is needed.
Students will have the opportunity to boost their employability skills and take advantage of the employer talent pipeline that has been set up to support potential recruitment across a range of different sectors with partner organisations such as BMW, Fujitsu and Nationwide.