Host of leading employers back Hull’s UTC to inspire next generation
EMPLOYER-LED LEARNING: Glenn Jensen, senior assistant principal – employer engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, centre, middle row, with representatives from the school’s new partners
By Rick Lyon
Nine more leading businesses have become employer partners of Hull’s Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), inspiring students and equipping them with industry-critical skills to form their future workforces.
Cranswick, Fisher Security, Fresh Design International, Giacom, MRT and Triton Power have become Major Partners of the school, while Alan Wood and Partners, Influence Media and KLAAFE Limited have become Partners.
This brings the UTC’s total number of employer partners to almost 50.
The school’s sponsors help develop and deliver employer-led projects, offer work experience, paid employment and apprenticeship opportunities and lead the UTC’s careers, advice and guidance programme in Founding Partner, Major Partner and Partner roles.
Major Partners also play a key role in helping to develop the Ofsted ‘Outstanding’-rated school’s unique employer-led curriculum.
Cranswick is one of the UK’s leading food business, with revenues over £2.3bn. The company produces a wide range of fresh food, from pork and chicken to charcuterie meats, olives and houmous in 22 production facilities. Cranswick has a growing farming operation and has recently acquired a pet food business.
EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH INDUSTRY SKILLS: Ron Dearing UTC has welcomed nine more businesses as employer partners
Sam Foster, group talent acquisition officer at Cranswick, said: “As one of Hull’s largest employers, we’re passionate about engaging with young talent and showcasing the variety of career opportunities available within our industry-leading sustainable food business.
“We’ve taken on three Ron Dearing UTC students in engineering, tech and new product development apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship roles, which has been a great success, and we’re looking forward to contributing to the school’s curriculum as a Major Partner.”
Giacom is one of the UK’s foremost distributors of comms, cloud, hardware and billing services, supporting a nationwide partner network of over 5,000 local, expert technology providers.
Announced as the Comms National Awards’ Best Wholesale Service Provider in September 2023, Giacom provides a portfolio of IT products and services to its partners, who in turn support thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across the UK.
Richard Wieczorek, senior technology talent acquisition partner at Giacom, said: “Ron Dearing UTC is an amazing place which provides a really good mix of academic and hands-on learning.
“The energy and buzz from the students is really impressive and we’re devising an apprenticeship programme to employ some students in traditional IT or software engineering roles in the future.
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION: Ron Dearing UTC students in STEAM Studios
“A significant portion of Giacom’s cloud services division has long been based in the Hull area, and partnering with Ron Dearing UTC takes our investment in the local area and the future of our business to the next level.”
Beverley-based MRT designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of revolutionary electronic distress signals, man overboard safety solutions and safety equipment for offshore industries. Its mission is to protect and save lives in the renewables, oil, gas and offshore sectors.
MRT is the Hull-based electronics division of Wescom Group, a world-renowned manufacturer of specialist pyrotechnic products for the global marine industries, producing more than 2.5 million units annually.
Ryan Pettit, managing director of MRT, said: “We want to create a pipeline of future talent within our business who can learn from our experienced team and arm the students with the skills we want to see in our future workforce.
“We’re growing our business and we’re excited for work-ready young people to join us and build their careers here. We’ve recently taken on three production engineering apprentices from Ron Dearing UTC and they’re settling in very well.
“The UTC is an incredible place with an outstanding working and learning environment and we’re very proud to become a Major Partner.”
TOP CLASS: Hull’s employer-led school is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted
Ron Dearing UTC caters for students aged between 14 and 19, offering a unique model of employer-led education with a specialist focus on creative arts, digital technology, computing and engineering.
The school has recently expanded its capacity from 600 to 800 students following funding from the Department for Education’s (DfE) Post-16 Capacity Fund. Hull’s former Hull Central Fire Station has been transformed into STEAM Studios, the school’s new dedicated centre for creativity.
Glenn Jensen, senior assistant principal – employer engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “We’re delighted to welcome nine fantastic new businesses as employer partners of Ron Dearing UTC, adding to the dozens of other leading companies who continue to support our school and students.
“We’re expanding our employer engagement programme, so we cross an even more diverse breadth of sectors within engineering, creative, computing, science and healthcare industries, opening up further opportunities for our students.
“Our employer partners provide world-class careers advice, guidance and destinations, and we’re thrilled to be associated with them all.”