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UTC Welcomes Bloodhound SSC 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

Year 10 and 12 students were given the exciting opportunity to work with Bloodhound SSC on different engineering projects and challenges across two afternoons.

Bloodhound SSC is a unique, high-technology project aiming to design and build a supersonic car that will break the 1000pmh barrier and set a new world land speed record. They aim to the share engineering adventure with a global audience through working with schools to inspire the next generation about science and technology, and sharing their research and development.

Monday 25th June saw the UTC invite other local schools to join the activities including primary schools, which gave Year 10s the chance to act as mentors to the younger pupils and develop their leadership skills.

Alongside the year 10 and 12 students, on Tuesday 26th June our upcoming year 10 students were invited as part of their Transition Day to participate in the Bloodhound Project. There were numerous team building activities and engineering challenges to give students an exciting insight into the adventurous and ground breaking side of science and technology. Many of the students found the event to be a fun way of seeing engineering in action.

Some of the activities included constructing a tower out of paper, engineering a bridge out of Meccano and building rocket powered model cars which were modified following the evaluation of the extensive data they recorded throughout the day.

The team who won the activities and challenges will be rewarded with a certificate and most significantly, by having their team name written on the actual car’s tail fin, which will be driven in South Africa by Andy Green OBE for the world record breaking attempt. Congratulations to the winning team, ENL High Octane: Jake Foulger, Oakley Pettitt, Liam Hamblin, Spencer Lamingman and Jack Cox.

Speed Networking with Businesses 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

Once again the UTC welcomed a number of businesses on 27th June to give Year 10 students an insight into different organisations, and their opportunities on offer.

We welcomed our longstanding industry partners Philips 66 and Cristal, and other companies such as On-Line Design and the Job Centre. With an hour spent with each company, students received extensive information about the company and industry, whilst also being able to ask plenty of questions.

Having a face to face chat with company representatives is a unique opportunity with significant benefits as students can ensure they make an impact on the company to aid applications to their roles, but also in developing their employability skills such as communication and networking. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the companies and seek advice from industry experts.

ESA Competition Project Entry 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

The UTC is participating in the Baker Dearing and ESA Competition Project, selecting Harry Oades, Year 12 for entry. The Project has been established by Baker Dearing in conjunction with the ESA to mark the participation of Tim Peake in the Baker Dearing conference. Tim Peake is a British ESA astronaut and former International Space Station crew member. The Trust manages and oversees the UTCs throughout the country. The European Space Agency (ESA) has been committed to putting space education at the forefront, seeking to help young people maintain an interest in science and technology.

The submission entails a two minute film describing a project which is most likely to be of interest to the ESA. The final shortlisted students will participate in a private presenting session on Monday 16th July in London, which will be delivered to Tim Peak who will also select and announce the winner.

Harry’s presentation explores the viability of plant life on Mars. He has carried out research into Mars and its atmosphere, and how plants are grown in the International Space Station. Harry examines the methods and challenges of sustaining life on Mars, and the main ways this could be tested, while considering any further issues. Everyone at ENLUTC wishes Harry the best of luck.

To watch Harry’s submission click here.

Year 9 Consultation 2> By | Latest news | One Comment

Engineering UTC North Lincolnshire is proposing a change in admissions to allow Year 9 students to join our community from September 2019.

Marc Doyle, Principal, said the move was another important step in what has been a very successful 12 months for the UTC.

“With our positive Ofsted inspection, the launch of our pioneering Engineering Scholarship Programme and the continued progress our students are making, we have made huge strides forward this academic year.

“What has been particularly pleasing is seeing how more people are looking to engage with the UTC. The number of business partners we are working with is expanding and we are seeing an increasing number of young people and their families looking at our school as a possible option for them.

“As a result, we are launching a consultation to explore accepting students from Year 9, not Year 10 as it currently stands.”

The move mirrors the changes being made by a number of successful UTCs across the country, who are all adapting their admissions arrangements to reflect changes in how qualifications are delivered and assessed.

The rationale for Engineering UTC North Lincolnshire accepting children a year earlier is:

  • We can better align our curriculum to other local schools – many who start their Key Stage 4/GCSE programme in Year 9.
  • At the moment children who join us in Year 10 have, therefore, already spent a year studying for GCSEs they may not want to sit. This is disruptive for the child and the school. It will also mean more parent choice when considering they are considering their child’s Options in Year 8.
  • Progress will improve by having the KS4 students with us for three years instead of two. It will also allow more time for the students to settle in and engage with extra-curricular and apprenticeship programmes we offer.
  • The new 1-9 GCSE specifications promote three years of study, rather than two, to improve outcomes for young people.

Mr Doyle added: “Changing our admissions arrangements is an important decision. It is not one we can make in isolation.

“We would welcome the thoughts of people from across our community, which is why we have created a booklet outlining in greater detail about why we are making this change and what it would mean.”

To read the booklet, please click here.

Interested parties are then asked to complete the online questionnaire to provide their feedback on the proposals. You can access the questionnaire by clicking here. Paper versions are available at the UTC’s reception.

Mr Doyle finished by saying: “This is a very exciting development for the UTC, and one that will help us to better respond to our students and our community.

“We look forward to hearing your feedback.”

To complete the consultation questionnaire, please click here.

Find out what UTC students have to say about their education 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

“I knew a UTC would make me stand out.”

“You’re given a lot more responsibility for your education.”

“My UTC has given me a sense of who I am and what I can achieve in life.”

Find out why current UTC students chose a technical education, and how it has benefitted their life and career so far. From being technically challenged to receiving opportunities to work with household names like Jaguar Land Rover, watch the full video below to hear from real students about their real experiences at a University Technical College.

Principal Marc Doyle features in UTC highlights video 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

It’s been an exciting start to 2018 for University Technical Colleges. There’s been high-profile events, lots of press coverage and celebrity endorsements – including the appointment of a new UTC Ambassador, Michelle Dewberry.

The video focuses on everything that’s gone well for University Technical Colleges throughout the first quarter of the year. It’s been a successful start, and as more people get on board with the idea of a technical education, we can’t wait for what the rest of the year will bring.

Watch the UTC Highlights video below to catch all the highlights of the first three months of the year, featuring ENL UTC Principal, Marc Doyle.

ENL UTC Principal Marc Doyle live BBC News

Principal Marc Doyle goes live on BBC News 2> By | Latest news, Teacher Profiles | No Comments

Our Principal, Marc Doyle, was featured on BBC News last week to discuss the north-south attainment gap. This follows the release of a new report by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) which suggests that pupils in the North of England are on average one GCSE grade behind comparable pupils in the South. The report also highlighted that a lack of skills training is holding back the region’s economy.

The report calls on businesses to mentor schoolchildren; £300M new funding for disadvantaged areas; reform of the Pupil Premium funding mechanism for children from low income families; a new Northern Powerhouse Schools Improvement Board, and a commitment from local firms to provide 900,000 young people with work experience.

The Principal emphasised the work that the Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire has been doing to tackle some of the key concerns highlighted in the report, such as the skills shortage and employability. “Our focus has been on real life projects and closing the skills gap”, Marc Doyle said. “1 in 3 of our students will find employment with companies that they have worked with through the school during school time, and 25% of our students will go on to apprenticeships against the national rate of only 5%.”

The Engineering UTC has been working closely with many different employers such as Cristal and Phillips 66 to ensure students are getting real life work experience and the employability skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Marc Doyle discussed how focusing on aptitude alone is not enough to secure students’ futures. “Education tends to focus on aptitude and end of year exams but we also need to focus on their employability skills. If students and parents are looking for a way into the world of work then UTCs are a great place to be. Success is measured in lots of different ways.”

You can watch the full clip here. 

Open evening review: 100% of visitors interested in joining 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

On the night of January 30th 2018, we proudly launched our new name, new look and new focus to a crowd of potential students visiting our campus for an open evening. In case you missed it, you can find out a little more about why we’ve rebranded here.

Supported by employers and ran by a team of 20 student volunteers, the event resulted in 100% of those who visited telling us they were interested in joining our UTC.

All in all, nine of our employer partners joined us for the evening, spending several hours chatting to the potential future engineers that dropped in to have a look around.

That total included STEM ambassador (science, technology, engineering and maths) Helen from British Steel. Passionate about encouraging more women to move into careers in STEM, Helen discussed how she loves the willingness of our students to get stuck in to any problem they are tasked with solving.

helen-lee-british-steel-enlutc-open-evening

Helen was joined by Mark from Cristal, who spoke enthusiastically about how important our UTC is in “establishing a clear connection between school and industry in the minds of students.”

mark-cristal-enl-utc-open-evening

Dylan and Manda were two of our current students taking visitors around our campus. In between tours, Dylan told us how he felt that the UTC had given him a future, while Manda spoke of how increased employer engagement had helped her to start seriously thinking about her career.

Speaking to a crowd of 50-60 attendees, Principal Marc Doyle talked about how excited he was to reveal the school’s transition into Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire, while expressing his determination to keep it performing as the best UTC in the country.

principal-marc-doyle-enlutc-open-evening

If you’ve not seen what we’re all about for yourself yet, you can either look out for our next open event, or arrange a guided tour on a normal school day by calling 01724 878100.

We look forward to meeting you.

Why we’ve become Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire 2> By | Latest news | No Comments

You might’ve seen that we’ve changed our name from Humber UTC to Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire. We’re still based in the same place, and we’ll continue to deliver specialist academic and technical training for 14-19 year olds, we’ve just refreshed our focus – and here’s why.

Starting with the name, we wanted to broaden our scope beyond the Humber, and better communicate exactly what it is that we’re working to do to do – deliver young engineers into industry in Northern Lincolnshire.

Next, our new logo and branding has been designed to reflect our focus on clean, modern technology, and move away from the preconceptions of engineering as a dirty-hands profession.

Driven by student feedback and our Principal Marc Doyle, the rebrand is just the final step in a transition that in reality started at the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year.

Since September, we’ve introduced a new team with backgrounds in industry, our employer partners have become more actively engaged, and we’ve created the Student Leadership team to make sure our students can always make their voice heard.

Look out for our next open evening to see it for yourself!