Leeds MP Hilary Benn sees city's new technical college taking shape

LEEDS MP Hilary Benn has visited the city's first university technical college which will open its doors in September.
Hilary Benn MP  taking a photo from the roof of the new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.Hilary Benn MP  taking a photo from the roof of the new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.
Hilary Benn MP taking a photo from the roof of the new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.

The Labour MP for Leeds Central saw first hand the work going on to create the UTC Leeds and met with the new school’s principal Mark Kennedy.

The new school aims to help train future generations of highly-skilled engineers for the city and beyond.

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University Technical College’s are a new type of state school which specialise on specific career areas.

They are run for 14 to 18-year-olds and combine technical qualifications with traditional GCSE and A-level qualifications.

UTC Leeds will be the first school of its kind in the Leeds City Region when it opens its doors in September.

Its courses will focus on advanced engineering and the high-tech manufacturing sector.

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The school will have capacity for 600 pupils aged between 14-18.

Work continues on the  new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.Work continues on the  new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.
Work continues on the new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.

Last week the school hailed the fact that a quarter of the pupils applying to attend are girls

In the UK, women are notoriously underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields with women making up just 12.8 per cent of the STEM workforce.

However 24 per cent of applicants to the University Technical College in Leeds, which will open in September 2016, are girls.

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UTC Leeds Principal Mark Kennedy had said: “We are pleased that a significant portion of our student body when we open will be female.

Work continues on the  new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.Work continues on the  new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.
Work continues on the new UTC in Leeds which is due to open in September.

“At UTC Leeds we specialise in advanced manufacturing and engineering. We hope this will serve to dispel any beliefs that STEM is just for boys; we want to inspire young women and girls to pursue science based subjects at school and in their future careers.”

He added: “We urge any young women interested in science and engineering to consider studying at UTC Leeds.”

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