College’s vision for the future

FINISHED article . . . how the GM will look

OLDHAM is set to fill the skills gap by training the next generation of engineers.

Education and business leaders have spoken about the borough’s new £9 million Greater Manchester Sustainable Engineering University Technical College - known as “The GM”.

The college will open in September for 14 to 19-year-olds, to address the skills gap identified in a new report by the Commission for Employment and Skills.

The survey said that while job vacancies are returning to pre-recession levels, many employers are still finding it hard to recruit people with the right skills.

University Technical Colleges are new schools developed to fill the skills gap by training young engineers who have the talent and skills industry demands.

Oldham College is the further education partner of The GM, which is one phase of a £25 million redevelopment of Oldham College.

Alun Francis, the college’s principal and chief executive, said: “The GM will address the real need for practical people, with the ability to apply what they have learned in modern science and technology to transform the economy.

“It will create new routes to employment and allow students to combine both the academic skills and industry knowledge to become the engineers, digital technicians and construction practitioners.”

Chris Hill, principal and chief executive of The GM, said: “The new university technical college is an exciting opportunity for young people to come and study, learn and develop in ways which will prepare them for employment.

“We collectively face many economic, environmental and social challenges and the young people at the UTC will be well-prepared to rise to the challenge.”