UTC Reading newsletter February 2017

Welcome to the February edition of the UTC newsletter. Take a look at the range of exciting activities that have been taking place.

UTC Reading featured on BBC South Today

UTC Reading has featured on BBC South Today as part of a report about new research showing young scientists, IT workers and engineers believe a lot of what they studied at school is of little use out in the real world. Watch the footage (starting at 5:03).

AWE encourages girls to pursue jobs in STEM

On Wednesday 22 February, two inspirational guest speakers from AWE visited UTC Reading to speak to a group of our female students.

They spoke about their experiences of being female apprentices in a male dominated environment and that actually this often led to more opportunities being offered to them. The representatives from AWE also stressed that our students can do whatever they put their minds to and that gender should not play a role in this. Our students were very engaged by the lively presentation and asked a lot of questions.

Industry partners prepare students for next steps

During half term, nine industry partners came to UTC Reading to run a Skills Training Week for post 16 students.

The five training days were delivered by a range of engineering and computing specialists, with the aim of helping students to prepare for their next steps after leaving the UTC.

Students practise interview skills as they go for gold

Before half term, students aiming to achieve the gold Duke of York Award for Technical Education worked with staff on their interview techniques, in preparation for their real interviews later in the year.

The Duke of York Award for Technical Education acknowledges the success of young people choosing a technical route and encourages wider support from parents, businesses and other stakeholders.

IET Women in STEM talks take off with Armelle Boisset

On Monday 6 February, Armelle Boisset from Kapsch CarrierCom delivered an inspiring talk at UTC Reading.

UTC Reading is working with the IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology), to host a series of talks on Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Talks will be delivered monthly by women in a range of careers and from a variety of backgrounds, aiming to inspire young people to see the wealth of opportunities available to them in STEM.

Armelle’s talk was the first of the series and proved to be a fantastic success. She spoke about her life and career and brought up several interesting points, including how she was inspired by teachers at school who used to make learning more memorable.

BMW Mini apprentices inspire UTC Reading engineers

Three apprentices from BMW MINI visited UTC Reading on Tuesday 21 February to inform students about apprenticeship opportunities for engineers at BMW MINI's Oxford site.

They explained that BMW offer apprenticeships lasting between three and four years and covering a wide range of skills.

UTC Reading team win Best Engineered Car award

A team of six Year 11 UTC Reading students recently took part in the regional finals for F1 in Schools.

The team, called “Serpents of Speed”, were required to prepare an F1 in Schools race car, which was designed in AutoDesk Inventor. The students used a CNC machine to create the main body and a 3D printer to produce the wheels, axles and front and rear wings.

Problem-solving skills are put to the test in technology tournament

Before half term, eight UTC Reading students took part in a technology tournament at The Bulmershe School.

The event was organised and run by the Reading Rotary Club and UTC Reading entered two teams; “Star Tech” and “Trident”. Each team comprised four students, who were tasked with a real-world problem of creating a device to remove blockages from oil pipe systems. They had to build and test their prototypes and create electronic motorised vehicles, which had to move back and forth through piping.

Cisco careers opportunities presented to post 16 students

Nadia Farhan and Ellie Ulrich from the Cisco Apprenticeships Team recently visited UTC Reading to discuss careers with students.

Nadia and Ellie spoke to post-16 students during their lunch break about the Cisco apprenticeship scheme, internships during degrees and graduate programmes. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to ask questions and find out about potential options for them when they leave UTC Reading.

Schools race to reach the final for F1 in Schools

On Tuesday 7 February, 10 teams of local primary school children took part in the F1 in Schools regional heats at UTC Reading.

St Anne’s Primary School and Caversham Primary School took part in the races, competing to have the fastest car and get through to the regional final. Cars were designed using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, aiming to engage the students in engineering.

Engineering students network their way to success

On Wednesday 1 February, we were delighted to welcome five industry leaders and STEM Ambassadors to meet a group of our post-16 engineering students at our first “Eng Mentors” speed networking event.

Students were able to spend 10 minutes with each mentor, giving them valuable insights into their line of work, and helping them to understand what makes a successful career. With such high-profile industry leaders, the students were able to understand how a career can be developed, and how a successful company can be built.

Intermediate Mathematics Challenge 2017

A group of Year 10 UTC Reading pupils took part in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematics Challenge.

Holly Maddox was amongst the top 10% of students who took part in the challenge nationally. These students have received gold certificates and have been invited to take the next round for Grey Kangaroo.

What's it like to study at UTC Reading?

Hear from our current students about what it's like to study at UTC Reading by watching our “Take Five” videos. Each film poses five questions to UTC Reading students. They can be found on the “What our students say” section of our website or on our YouTube channel.

You can also see some examples of lessons on our Typical lessons at UTC Reading page.

Application deadline - limited spaces available for Year 12

The Year 10 application deadline for 2017 has now passed and any applications received will be classed as ‘late’ applications.

The initial deadline for Year 12 has also passed and offers are being made, but we do have limited places available and will be making further offers before Easter.

Year 10 application form
Year 12 application form