Information for Employers

Opened in September 2017, SGS Berkeley Green UTC is a unique educational institution for students aged 14-19. We provide the outstanding academic education you would expect from a school alongside the technical and employer focused education of a college.

So what is a UTC?

A UTC is a University Technical College. There are nearly 50 UTCs across the country, set up to help employers fill key skills gaps.

The UTC does this by providing specialist high-quality STEM vocational and academic education for learners aged 14-19 with a strong interest in Engineering, Digital Technologies and Cyber Security.

As with all UTCs, our curriculum has been developed in partnership with employers, who have taken an active role in the development of the UTC. Students 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 Engineering, Cyber Security and Digital Technologies. This enables students 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.

So what is SGS Berkeley Green UTC like?

Life at a University Technical College is very similar to school in many ways in terms of the general curriculum. It is also excitingly different in that it has much more in common with a professional employment setting. The ‘school day’ is longer and teaching and learning are conducted in a professional environment that really helps students progress into the world of work, further education or training.

SGS Berkeley Green UTC has a unique curriculum focused on Engineering, Cyber Security and Digital Technologies. We have therefore invested heavily in the specialist equipment and technology that enables us to deliver the skills that employers need.

Students and parents comment that our surroundings feels more like a university or an office environment. You will not find another school with anything like our Security Operations Centre (SOC), and our IT infrastructure and Engineering facilities are second-to-none.

How can my company support the UTC?

Industry talks	These are talks delivered by a professional or expert in a given field. Previous talks have included STEM and curriculum linked talks on subject areas; career role options (including apprenticeships); education options and employability related talks.
Mock interviews	We interview our students in both years 10 and year 12. We use professionals across many different industries and welcome volunteers experienced in STEM or recruitment activities.
Event participation	We regularly host events that companies can participate in by having a stand or presence. These could be career options events, or events focusing on a particular industry or theme.
Work experience	The UTC focuses strongly on work experience opportunities for our students. We rely on organisations to provide work experience to our students to help develop their industry knowledge.
Mentoring	Some employers provide mentors for students during their studies to give them industry-related knowledge.
Promoting school leaver opportunities	We like to promote any relevant opportunities to our students ensuring they are aware of the options available to them once they have completed their studies with us. We use various methods including notice boards, onsite digital displays, messaging and our website.
Employer led projects	Every term our students are set an employer-led challenge. A company will provide a brief to find a solution for an industry-specific challenge. The company will present the brief and students then work on the challenge independently or in teams. All solutions or a shortlist of solutions are presented to the employer who will then judge the finished results.
Work site visits	You could offer the UTC students the opportunity to visit a place of work or education to learn more about an industry or area of study.
Marketing	The UTC appreciates any assistance in promoting our activities, achievements and opportunities. This could be helping us widen our networks, alerting us to relevant events, or even sharing our opportunities and achievements on social media.
Sponsoring a prize or award	This could be supplying a trophy sponsored by your organisation for achievements, or sponsoring a prize for a competition or project.

What are the benefits of supporting the UTC?

There are numerous benefits in getting involved with Employability provision at the UTC, both for students and employers.

By supporting the UTC you will be able to:

Address your own skills gap
Identify future talent who could potentially work for your company
Network with other organisations keen to develop STEM skills in young people
Access potential job applicants who have achieved level 2 or level 3 qualifications in a specialist field
Meet students who already demonstrate a passion in a STEM field
Publicly show your engagement with Corporate Social Responsibility
Upskill your staff in working with young people
Promote your company with both students, parents and the wider community
Receive input and feedback from a new generation

Our students will in turn be able to:

Learn about multiple industries and job roles
Apply their technical knowledge to real working environments
Feed their passion for STEM
Develop potential contacts for future careers
Develop key employability skills preparing them for their future
Add value to their CV when applying for future jobs

How can I register my interest in supporting the UTC?

Registering your interest to support the UTC is simple. Please send an email to nextsteps@berkeleygreenutc.org.uk. The Employability and Progression Coordinator, will contact you to discuss further.