SGS Berkeley Green UTC 
SGS Pegasus School 
SGS Forest High School 11th April 2017
A UTC is a University Technical College. In March 2015 SGS Berkeley Green UTC was invited by the Secretary of State for Education to enter a pre-opening phase, ahead of a planned opening in September 2017. With over 155 acceptances, the Berkeley Green UTC will open to plan and budget this September at the former nuclear laboratories, Berkeley, Gloucestershire.
The UTC will provide specialist high quality vocational and academic education for learners aged 14-18 with a strong interest in Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Technologies and Cyber Security. SGS Berkeley Green UTC is one of sixty planned or already opened University Technical Colleges nationally.
As with all UTCs, SGS Berkeley Green UTC’s curriculum has been developed in partnership with employers, who have taken an active role in the development of the UTC. Learners will follow the national curriculum enabling them to achieve the same number of GCSEs that they would in a school, but because of the longer school days they also have an additional forty percent of their time focused on undertaking specialist vocational education and projects led by employers in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Cyber Security and Digital Technologies. This really does enable learners at a UTC to become more attractive to employers as they have practical, relevant skills as well as having the same excellent education and qualifications that they would get within a secondary school or sixth form.
Life at a University Technical College is very similar to school in many ways in terms of the general curriculum but is also excitingly different to school in that it has much more in common with the workplace and a professional employment setting.
In order to ensure the successful opening of the UTC, it has been supported by local engineering business Versarian, the University of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. As with all new schools and academies, the final funding agreement was signed once the Berkeley Green UTC had agreed to become part of an Academy Trust.
The Berkeley Green UTC is part of South Gloucestershire and Stroud Academy Trust (SGSAT). SGS Academy Trust was established after a request by Sir David Carter, the then South West Regional Schools’ Commissioner to our parent sponsor, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, to support schools in Gloucestershire and the West of England who may need the economies of scale and specific expertise within the College – especially the back-office capabilities.
SGSAT are searching for committed, enthusiastic and passionate individuals who would like to be considered to form part of the governing body for the Berkeley Green UTC.
This is a really exciting opportunity to be part of a newly formed UTC. The role of a Governor is interesting and varied and we are looking for dedicated people that can bring a variety of skills and experience to the role and have the qualities to support the UTC in its strategic aim to successfully open and also to support it to become an outstanding institution.
UTC Governors are people from the communities the UTC serves who wish to make a positive contribution to the development of vocational education in the region for learners aged 14-19 in the area. Of particular interest is experience in education, engineering, Digital Technologies and finance. The broader your vocational field and experiences the better.
Governors are volunteers; their role is comparable with that of non-executive directors of the board of a public company. The position of Governor is unpaid, although they are entitled to claim for expenses incurred. Governors have an important part to play in setting the strategic direction of the UTC, ensuring accountability for the use of public funds and monitoring and evaluating the UTC’s performance. Applicants will need to confirm their willingness to commit the necessary time and effort needed to fulfil the role.
SGSAT welcome all applications and is keen to involve people of all ages and cultural backgrounds and strongly encourages applications from under-represented groups and from all sections of the communities served.
For further information
Please visit SGS Berkeley Green UTC to if you wish to express interest in becoming a Governor for SGS berkeley Green UTC.