AUSTIN PRESENTS UTC BID TO SECRETARY OF STATE

Dudley MP Ian Austin presented the bid for Aston University Technical College in Dudley to Education Secretary Michael Gove on Monday.

Speaking in the Commons, Austin urged the Education Secretary to approve the bid and pave the way for a transformation in educational provision in the town. Mr Gove promised to look on the bid ‘sympathetically’.

Austin has been working closely with Dudley College, local employers and Aston University to develop the bid, which was formally submitted to the Department of Education last week.

University Technical Colleges offer a specialist education to give 14-18 year-olds the skills needed to work in technical, high-skilled industries as well as traditional subjects such as maths and English.

Dudley’s UTC would be called the Aston University Technical College. Plans have been drawn up by Dudley College, Aston University and leading local employers like Stuart Towe of Hadley Industries who is chairing the bid and Martin Dudley from Thomas Dudley Ltd.

Austin had previously written to the Education Secretary to press Dudley’s case and met Lord Baker, the man the Government appointed to oversee its UTC programme.

If approved the Dudley UTC will open in 2014, and will join three other UTCs currently open in the region – the JCB Academy in Staffordshire, the Black Country UTC in Walsall and the Aston University Engineering Academy in Birmingham.

Ian Austin MP said:

“A UTC for Dudley would not only transform the education that’s available in the town but address the skills shortage and help rebalance the economy by encouraging young people to pursue a career in hi-tech manufacturing.

“Dudley College, leading local businesses like Hadley Industries and Aston University have now submitted the bid for a UTC in Dudley. Today I asked the Secretary of State to get behind it and ensure that the bid is approved at the earliest possible opportunity so we can get the changes made that we need in the town.”