Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to promote University Technical Colleges.

The University Technical Colleges (UTC) programme has an important role to play in our reforms to technical education, with strong UTCs succeeding in equipping young people with the skills businesses need, getting them into employment and supporting social mobility.

There are regulations in place that require local authorities to write to parents of pupils in Year 9 to notify them of schools with atypical ages of admission within reasonable travelling distance, which includes UTCs, to make sure they are aware of the choices available to them. Early indications suggest that these letters have had a positive impact on awareness of UTCs and supported their recruitment.

Recent changes to the Careers Guidance legislation also requires maintained schools and academies to provide opportunities for providers of technical education, such as UTCs, to visit schools to talk to students in Years 8-13, to inform them of their offer.

UTCs are sponsored by employers and they are essential to marketing efforts by UTCs to promote their offer. Employers can demonstrate to pupils how attending the UTC can lead to a successful career. Employers taking a sustained and embedded role in supporting the UTC programme is crucial to their success.