What is a UTC?
Featuring UTC Reading Alumni – Simon Light and Industry Partner – Cisco
What is a UTC?
University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are government-funded schools with a STEM focus. They provide a unique and relevant approach to education which addresses the changing needs of students and employers in the 21st Century. Established by companies and universities in areas of high demand for talent, UTCs provide sought-after technical qualifications and benefit from industry standard equipment and specialist staff to provide students with the skills valued by employers.
UTCs are more than just a school. As well as providing a strong grounding in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, each UTC has one or more technical specialism linked to their local industry partners.
The curriculum provides a blend of academic and technical learning, with balance appropriate to each Key Stage. Programmes of study demonstrate high academic and technical ambition for all pupils, building the vital employability skills, personal values and professional behaviours required by UTC leavers for rapid progression into the UTC’s target technical sector.
UTCs invest in young people’s enthusiasm and aptitude for science, maths and technology, and in doing so accelerate their progression to a career in a technical field. In turn this progression will feed the talent pipeline into UTCs’ target technical sectors.
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Georgina Craven
Executive Director of SEND (SENCo)
Georgina is an experienced SEND leader with over thirteen years specializing in supporting neurodiverse learners and leading SEND provision. Beginning her career as an LSA, she progressed through roles including Senior LSA, Teacher of Biology, Director of SEND, and now Executive Director of SEND. A qualified teacher with a Marine Zoology degree from Newcastle University, Georgina also holds a Master’s in SEND, specialising in SEMH and Autism, alongside the National Award for SEN Coordination and accreditation as an Access Arrangements Assessor. She has contributed to SEND practice at both school and local authority level, including sitting on EHCP panels and leading school‑wide implementation of SEND technology systems. As a Therapeutic Thinking trainer, she champions inclusive, neuroaffirming practice rooted in the social model of disability and strongly believes in celebrating the strengths that neurodiversity brings to education and the wider world.
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