ONCE again I am afraid I have to take issue with the comments by Justin Tomlinson in your paper regarding the town’s University Technical College.

He says “Swindon should be exceptionally proud of this fantastic establishment which is a flagship for UTCs across the country.”

However, the college has only been open a year and so it is far too early to hail it as a success.

It has by far the highest rate of pupil exclusions in the town. In fact, the college was well undersubscribed in its first intake and unless numbers pick up significantly then people might well start asking questions about the amount of money that has been spent on such an illustrious project considering other parts of the education budget have been plundered to pay for it.

When other schools around the country are struggling to fix leaks in the roof, Justin and his Tory Party chums can pose like peacocks in the glow of their vanity projects like this.

The college is yet to produce its first set of exam results and we need to see whether grooming children from the age of 14 for the world of work actually produces benefits in terms of leaving there and obtaining good jobs.

Personally, I question whether grooming children for the corporate world from such a young age is really that healthy.

The way things are going, the present generation of school children will need to work into their 70s before being able to retire and yet it appears that we want to take a child of 14, put them in a business suit, give them a briefcase and a laptop and thrust them into some kind of real life apprentice-type world.

I am sure there are those like Justin Tomlinson and others who are thrilled about the prospect of all this but I have my reservations.

I am reminded of a photo I once saw of a young, rebellious Michael Gove on a picket line.

I wonder what the young Michael Gove in that photo would have thought about all this?

ANDREW WILKINS Collettt Avenue, Swindon