We’re at the forefront of technical education in the North East of England for GCSE and Sixth Form students. Since 2016 we’ve helped hundreds of young people from County Durham get started on their dream STEM careers.
About us
What is a UTC?
A University Technical College (UTC) is a government funded school that bridges the gap between education and the world of work. In the UK there is a network of UTCs which have all been set up by a University alongside various business partners, usually that serve a local industry. Operating under the same name, each UTC has the freedom to create its own culture, curriculum and admissions protocol.
In 2016 Sunderland University collaborated with Hitachi and Gestamp to found us and we were rated Good by Ofsted for our first inspection in 2019.
Since our establishment we’ve been the school of choice for hundreds of young people in the North East. Our commitment to ensuring each student is career and life ready quickly gained us a positive reputation and resulted in us being oversubscribed for Year 10 since 2023.
The UTC Difference
Help students specialise
Each UTC has its own subject specialism that forms a large part of the curriculum.
State of the art facilities
Most UTCs benefit from new builds that are designed to suit the needs of its specialism.
Industry partners
Each UTC has strong links with a number of local, national and international companies to help students gain real world experience.
Expert staff
Each UTC employs a highly qualified body of staff with industry experience to deliver lessons that link to careers.
Our Journey
2013: Sunderland University, Gestamp and Hitachi join forces to establish the North East’s first University Technical College (UTC).
2016: The first cohort of Year 10 students start studying towards their GCSEs
2019: UTC South Durham receives ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted
2021: UTC South Durham becomes one of the first providers in the North East to offer T Level Engineering
2023: UTC South Durham completes an Engineering Hall extension
2024: UTC South Durham again rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted
Our Performance
Ofsted
In our first and most recent inspection, we were rated as good across all categories.
2023 Exam Results
The purpose of the UTC is to help prepare young people for the world of work and to ensure that they are career and life ready. UTCs are best measured by career progression and destinations.
- The UTC was ranked 7th in the country out of 2300 Post-16 providers for apprenticeship starts from L3 (latest DfE performance tables).
- For our Year 13 leavers: All who wanted to have gone to University and all went to study STEM degrees (including Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, Aerospace Engineering, Astrophysics, Cyber Security, Mechatronics, Computer Science).
- A high proportion have secured Apprenticeships: 6 times the national average – covering a wide range of sectors (including civil engineering, mechanical engineering, maintenance, welding and fabrication, toolmaking, design and IT).
- Our NEET numbers are very low compared with other providers both locally and nationally.
Alumni
Andrew
Electrical Engineering Apprentice with BMW Group
Rylie
Degree Level Apprentice with Willmot Dixon
Charlie
Chemistry at Durham University
Kirsten
Degree Level Apprentice with EY
Dan
Degree Level Apprenticeship with Filtronic
Alex
Degree Level Apprenticeship with Jacobs
State of the art facilities
