UTC Swindon is holding an open event today for students and their parents to find out more about the school’s links with high-calibre names like BMW, Rolls-Royce, Patheon and the Royal Navy.

The UTC, a school for 14-19-year-olds which specialises in engineering and digital technologies, taught alongside the National Curriculum, will be open from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Anyone interested in going along, should register to attend online at www.utcswindon.co.uk/events.

BMW, Rolls-Royce, Patheon and the Royal Navy are among the companies taking advantage of their relationship with UTC Swindon to grow their own talent; bringing in school leavers and providing the training they need to progress.

According to the Institution of Engineering And Technology 2016 survey, 31 per cent of employers state that a key problem they face in recruiting engineering and technology graduates is attracting candidates with sufficient work experience.

The main reasons degrees fail to meet expectations are because they don’t develop practical skills (59 per cent) and offer a lack of opportunities for students to develop practical work experience in companies (43 per cent).

Growing their own talent, through apprenticeships, is an approach which benefits both the employer and the apprentice.

UTC Swindon is working with companies to ensure their students get the very best opportunities to progress to jobs with training to develop the skills that these companies demand.

Patheon is a global pharma contract development and manufacturing organisation which provides an end-to-end supply chain solution for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies.

With its UK base in Swindon, the company serves more than 400 clients around the world. It is developing a pipeline of new talent with the support of UTC Swindon.

Gareth Wilson completed BTEC Level 3 Engineering and A-level in Maths at UTC Swindon this summer. He said: “I was thinking about moving onto university after completing my course, but discovered the apprenticeship programme at Patheon when they came to deliver a presentation.”