When you think of a school, where do you picture it being located?
Within the streets and houses of towns and villages? Hidden among estates and other urbanised areas? Just along the road from a church and a supermarket and a few shops?
How about rubbing shoulders with global companies on a busy and energetic business park?
UTC South Durham believes that we are equipping young people with the skills, qualifications and experiences they need to be life and career ready. By being located on Aycliffe Business Park, we’re putting our money where our mouth is; instead of being based in a town and inviting industry professionals to us, we want to be at the heart of the action, ensuring our students get a full insight into the world of work, including the commute in and out of their workplace.
As well as introducing our students to the workday commute, we encourage them to liaise with representatives from a whole host of different companies that are right on our doorstep. As well as developing their skills and guiding them to achieve the relevant qualifications, we coach our students to be confident enough in themselves to network with potential employers.
This close relationship to companies such as Gestamp Tallent, Hitachi Rail Europe and Mold Systems EU allows our students to feel like they’re part of a working community. By integrating themselves into the North East workforce in this way, students are better prepared for the world of work, as they are more aware of what the workplace expects of them.
Furthermore, we encourage the representatives of all of the industries around us to come into our school and meet the next generation of engineers, scientists, mathematicians and technicians in person. Whether they are here to mentor our students or provide them with a project to hone their skills, we want the ambassadors of those companies to know that our young people are already at home on Aycliffe Business Park and so, they won’t be fazed when it comes to joining one of them as an employee in the near future.
This confidence that they have in themselves also holds them in good stead as they show they can handle long working hours, are well attuned to workplace etiquette and can demonstrate the skills and attitude to make the roles their own from day one of employment.
Additionally, we feel like our presence has grown because of our location. By locating ourselves on Aycliffe Business Park, we are working alongside likeminded companies and really demonstrating our prime focus of preparing young people to be life and career ready. Just as we inspire them, they inspire us with their business models and ways to expand, giving UTC South Durham an incredibly bright future.
So, the next time you think of where a school is located, think about the kind of school it is first.
For more information on our Location & Facilities, click here.