£10m Swindon UTC On Its Way 

 

The job of converting a former GWR School into Swindon's first University Technical College [UTC] has started apace.

 

Following the news of the flagship £10 million UTC last week, surveyors were out today on location doing the crucial groundwork before the builders move in.

 

The chosen site is a former GWR School (more recently small industrial units) off Bristol Street, in the heart of what was the Swindon Works.

The University Technical College is a relatively new concept and is aimed at providing a focused, employer-led engineering & technical education to students aged between 14-19 designed for work-readiness.
 

The college is being primarily sponsored by Oxford Brookes University and Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, and backed by big local businesses such as Honda, BMW, Halcrow, Nationwide, Npower & the MOD.

 

The UTC is planned to open in September 2014.

 

Preserved

The team behind the conversion intend to incorporate the use of the old school building, mill & fire station as part of the new college (see visualisation below). The former water tower, one of Swindon's best know landmarks, will also remain as a reminder of the site's history.