Baker Dearing Educational Trust

🆕 The latest edition of Baker Dearing's newsletter The Blueprint focused on the partnership between the UTC programme and the National Grid. Engagement with the utility company has led to many UTC leavers taking up roles with the National Grid, including in roles to support the clean energy transition. ⚡ For the newsletter, Baker Dearing spoke to Fergus Hynd, the Grid's head of social mobility, and also several UTC alumni and a student who have taken up roles with National Grid after taking part in Young Enterprise UK's Grid for Good programme. The full edition can be accessed below #thinkUTC

Such a fantastic afternoon at the House of Lords, celebrating our WMG Academy Trust Gold Baker Award winning students, Summer Flitcroft, George Parry and Amneet Bahra. The Baker Award for Technical Education celebrates outstanding achievements in technical education by rewarding students who have participated in work experience placements and employer-led projects whilst developing essential workplace skills, like communication and problem-solving. This award highlights the unique aspects of technical education that goes beyond the curriculum. In recognition of winning the Gold Baker Dearing Award it demonstrates the skills all our Students have developed over their time at WMG Academy Trust Coventry since they joined the academy and how collaboration between the students and our industry partners have prepared them for their future career as an apprentice or in higher education. Thank you to Kate Ambrosi, Simon Connell and the entire team at the Baker Dearing Educational Trust for the invitation and share the afternoon with you all and Lord Baker. #wmgacademy #thinkUTC

❄️ Around 200 students, principals, governors, multi-academy trust chief executives, staff and partner organisations attended the UTC Winter Conference and House of Lords tea party yesterday. 🎤 The conference was packed with speeches and workshops, including a keynote from Baker Dearing's incoming CEO Kate Ambrosi and its new chair Stephen Phipson CBE, who told attendees he was an "absolute admirer" of UTCs and, to build on the government's new industrial strategy, he wanted to bring more employers into the programme. The conference also included engaging breakout sessions with WorldSkills UK and Training Education and European Project (T.E.E.P). 🎁 During the conference, outgoing CEO Simon Connell was presented with a leaving gift of custom-made cufflinks, produced by Aston University Engineering Academy students who are studying at the UTC's new Goldsmiths Institute, being run with The Goldsmiths' Company. Simon's support and links with the company were instrumental to launching the institute this year. Conference also heard tributes from principals whom Simon has supported over his ten years with the UTC programme. 🍵 The tea party provided an opportunity to honour Baker Dearing's founder and current chairman Lord Baker, who is stepping up to the role of Life President in January. Lord Baker was presented with a video and book made by Elstree Screen Arts Academy about how his vision of UTCs has created life-changing opportunities for tens of thousands of young people. Aston's Goldsmiths students also gifted him a signet ring that they had designed and produced (pictured below). During the tea party, several alumni who achieved their Gold Baker Award for technical education achievement were also presented with certificates by Lord Baker. 👏 This year's winter conference and tea party was our best attended and most successful yet. Thank you to all those who supported the events. We look forward to another year of successful events in 2025. #thinkUTC

🎉 Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Simon Connell and Kate Ambrosi from the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to GPUTC! We proudly showcased our growing UTC and provided updates on the exciting developments at our school. Principal Lee Mawby shared a comprehensive update, and assistant principals Scott Dewdney and Claire Dillon highlighted key achievements. Pete and Sonia discussed the progress of our T Level delivery and how business partner engagement continues to thrive. 💼🤝 A highlight of the day was a session with our Student Council, where Simon and Kate heard firsthand about students' journeys and how our strong employer collaborations are bridging the education-to-industry skills gap. From apprenticeships offered pre-exams to real-world experience, we’re building pathways for success! 🌟📚 The visit included a special celebration as two incredible students received Gold Certificates in the UK Bebras Challenge, placing them in the top 10% nationally. 🏆👏 A day filled with inspiration, achievements, and pride—another step forward in Creating the Workforce of Tomorrow! 🚀✨

🆕 Over 80 female and non binary students explored engineering careers and met role models from industry at an event co-organised by Baker Dearing and Network Rail last week. The event, Shaping the future: empowering young women and non-binary leaders in industry, included: 🗣️ A panel discussion featuring female engineers and project managers. 🥸 A workshop on imposter syndrome. 🌉 Bridge-building, where the students worked with Network Rail staff on designs which they then presented to their peers. Students positively engaged with the event, with one saying: "It was an amazing opportunity to explore career pathways in an industry that I thought, prior to this event, was very niche and inaccessible." Read a full write up from The Manufacturer below #thinkUTC https://lnkd.in/eSnrSCEy

Our T-Level Healthcare Science students have been busy in our state of the art hospital ward, taking vital readings on the patient simulator! 🏥 Keep an eye out for even more exciting testing they'll be doing this week! 👀 #TLevelsWeek Baker Dearing Educational Trust

Celebrating T Level Week at LDE with an exceptional Employer Engagement: Our year 12 T Level Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction learners have undertaken a project led by Mace. Orchestrated by Baker Dearing Educational Trust, UTCs across the country will be taking part in an exciting construction competition.    Brief: A property developer is currently inviting construction companies to tender for a new construction project based in London. The property developer wants a building that is designed for the heart of the borough but at the same time offers a bold design that is original, creative and sustainable. Your construction company are interested in tendering for the work and will have to present a proposal to win the tender.    Our learners were split into teams and tasked with making a sustainable commercial building model. Learners had LEGO for bricks, straws as steel beams and lolly sticks for timber. They were given a budget of thirty million to buy their materials and each team had to allocate their resources within this budget.     Ernestas shares: "This task really helped us to visualise how we want our building to be. Working in a team meant we had to communicate our different ideas to bring them together, whilst considering the brief, our budget and the time constraints. It felt like a real-life construction project!"     We look forward to seeing our learners present their construction models!    “It's been fantastic working with the learners. They have been really engaged and have come up with some brilliant innovative ideas. It's been fun and refreshing for all the volunteers involved to see so many young people enthusiastic about construction,” Daniella Dei, Social Value Manager and facilitator of the project. #Tlevelweek #Tlevel #ThinkUTC

Following the government’s announcement of reforms to the T Level industry placement, aimed at boosting take-up of the qualifications, Baker Dearing's Deputy Chief Executive Kate Ambrosi has released the following comment.   “These changes are a step in the right direction and should help more providers to deliver T Levels so, crucially, more students can study them.   “University Technical Colleges have been lobbying for similar changes as many employers are keen to offer placements, but SMEs do not have the capacity in terms of staffing or equipment. The government should next look at reintroducing financial support for employers to deliver placements.   “It is important that these changes do not lead to T Levels being watered down. Industry placements are an essential part of the T Level, as they help students develop the employability skills that they will need for work. But they also help students feel more familiar with a workplace environment.   “Forty three per cent of the 2024 UTC leavers who studied T Levels progressed to an apprenticeship and the industry placements were a large factor in that.   “We have to balance making T Levels accessible to providers and students with ensuring that they are the gold standard for Level 3 technical education.” #thinkUTC #TLevelWeek

It’s #TLevelsWeek and we are super proud of our Healthcare Sciences students. A huge thank you to Care Plus Group and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust Careers for amazing placements! Baker Dearing Educational Trust

🎉 It's #TLevelsWeek T Levels are revolutionising the way young people prepare for their futures 🌟. These dynamic qualifications blend expert classroom teaching with real-world industry placements, providing the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today's job market. With specialised pathways in Business, Health and Engineering, T Levels open doors to a wealth of career opportunities. Whether you aspire to lead in business, innovate in engineering, or make a difference in healthcare, T Levels are designed to equip you with the expertise and confidence to succeed in high-demand industries. 💼 Gain practical knowledge that employers value. 📚 Build a strong academic foundation for further study or work. 🚀 Step into your future with a qualification designed to meet the needs of today’s evolving job market. 👉 Ready to start your journey? Explore how T Levels at Aston University Sixth Form can help you achieve your goals and prepare you for a world of opportunities. 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eC_Nm_fC #TLevels #Business #Engineering #Health #CareerReady #SkillsForLife #FutureTalent #educationinnovation #utcschool #stem #aston #explore #astonuniversity #like #birmingham #utcschool #bakerdearing #bakerdearingtrust T Levels Baker Dearing Educational Trust