SWINDON’S new University Technical College (UTC) has had just 24 applications from 109 inquiries so far, but principal Angela Barker-Dench is confident the new college will have enough students to open on time.

Angela Barker-Dench, who was appointed to the role in the summer, started up the robotic drill to signal work beginning on the whole site.

The UTC, located on the site of the old GWR school building off Bristol Street, will provide an engineering-focused education in partnership with some of Swindon’s biggest employers.

When it opens the college will cater for youngsters aged 14 to 19 and will initially have space for 300 students, expanding to 600 in the second year.

There are still three months remaining for potential applicants to respond but with work now starting on the college Angela believes applications will pick up.

Angela said: “As it stands we are ahead of the curve compared with other UTCs around the country at this stage of the application process, and 75 per cent of those who have declared interest are in the process of applying.

“I have absolutely no concerns whatsoever about not being full and would encourage everyone to get their applications in as soon as possible.

“It was very nice to finally be breaking the ground as this is really the start of everything.

“We have been looking at the plans for such a long time so it is very exciting to be able to come down here to see the site itself and get a perspective of how everything will look.

“Interest from people has been strong but now we have something to show parents and prospective students. It’s going to be a busy 10 months and there will be no standing still as we get ready to open.”

Angela has had a passion for engineering since the 1980s when she started an apprenticeship with General Electric, before going onto to study higher education. Living in Gloucester, the mother-of-two has plenty of experience in teaching, including spending four years teaching engineering at Swindon College She said: “This job is a dream for me. I have a background in engineering so the opportunity to teach in the heart of Swindon’s engineering past was too good to turn down. I’m in the process of finalising the curriculum and staffing numbers.”

The UTC is being developed in partnership with Oxford Brookes University and will work closely with leading manufacturing firms, such as Honda, to develop courses which will give students extra skills with the aim of making them more employable or ready for university. Around £9m of funding has come from the government, while £500,000 has come from the council.

Council Leader David Renard (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “I’m absolutely delighted to reach this stage, as I was involved in presenting our case to the government.

“For me there are a number of benefits to the UTC. It improves the educational opportunities for the young people of Swindon.

“Local businesses get young people who are ready to go directly into employment or university. It also shows the commitment of the council to preserve Swindon’s well documented engineering heritage.”

Applications for places at the UTC are open until January 31. To find out more information or to apply visit www.utcswindon.co.uk.