New £18m technical college announced for Burnley

The University Technical College (UTC), will be one of the first of the kind in the country and will ‘revolutionise’ education in the area.

It will cater for up to 600 14 to 19-year-olds from across East Lancashire and is set to be built in Burnley or Pendle.

It has been hailed as ‘absolutely fantastic news’ by Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle.

training 2000, which submitted a bid for the Government money, will manage the college, which is set to become one of just 18 in the country.

Some of the area’s largest employers will join forces with the organisation to draw up a curriculum, combining core academic subjects with technical studies and work placements.

It is hoped the training given at the college will provide teenagers with the skills they need to gain jobs in the engineering, advanced manufacturing and construction industries.

Pupils will be able to opt out of mainstream education to apply for a place at the college.

Companies such as Aircelle, Rolls-Royce PLC and Fort Vale Engineering will be involved in drawing up the college’s educational programme.

Bosses at Training 2000 said the East Lancashire college should be up and running by September next year, but have yet to confirm where it will be situated.

However, Mr Birtwistle, who helped with the bid, said the most likely sites were the town’s Weavers’ Triangle or Brierfield Mills in Pendle.

He said: “The big plus is that the Weavers’ Triangle is owned by Burnley Council.

“I will be pushing Burnley Council like there is no tomorrow to get it in the Weavers’ Triangle site.

“It will be supported by all the big-hitters in the area. Aerospace and automotive companies will be working closely with Training 2000 on this because they can see that they can get their future workforce out of it, trained for the jobs of the future rather than the jobs of the past.

“This is a winner-and-a-half. The kids who go to this college will get jobs - I’m sure of that.”

Mr Birtwistle, who worked in the aerospace industry, added: “Many years ago, in 1957, I went one-day-a-week to a technical college in Accrington, which has been knocked down now.

“If this is anything like that it will be absolutely fantastic and will be a revolution in terms of education in the area.

“Everybody says there are no jobs. Well, there are stacks of skilled jobs in Burnley but we do not have the people to do them.

“Over the next five years this will start to provide young people with qualifications and the readiness to work, preparing them for a really secure future.

“The people behind the decision have recognised that Burnley is a big manufacturing and engineering area and needs a workforce for the future.”

Developed in partnership with Lancashire County Council (LCC) and Pendle, Burnley and Blackburn with Darwen borough councils and supported by the University of Central Lancashire, the Visions Learning Trust project is being driven by Training 2000 boss Steve Gray.

Steve Gray, Training 2000 CEO, said: “Lancashire is renowned as a powerhouse in terms of its manufacturing and engineering base and we felt we needed to do more to retain the high calibre of school leavers who were traditionally leaving the area to work or train elsewhere.

“Visions Learning Trust will engage young people to realise their potential through the innovative development of skills and learning which will, in turn, inspire sustainable futures both for learners and employers.”

County Councillor Geoff Driver, leader of LCC, said: "World-class advanced engineering and manufacturing are vital to Lancashire's economy and we want these sectors to continue to evolve and go from strength to strength over the next few decades.

"An important part of that is for the workforce to be strengthened by talented young people coming through education with the skills those industries demand.

"The UTC has the potential to play a valuable role and I look forward to working with Training 2000 and the other partners to turn these plans into a reality."