SURREY'S first university technical college could soon be built after councillors gave their backing to the multi-million-pound project.
Members of the county's children and education select committee are backing the scheme after a report said it could benefit between 600 and 800 students.
University technical colleges (UTCs) are government-funded schools designed to meet demands from employers for students with practical experience in engineering, science and technology.
The Surrey UTC – which would cost about £10 million – has been backed by the Royal Holloway University of London, Guildford College, Guildford Education Partnership and information technology business CGI. Officers are currently working with the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, a public/private partnership that works with businesses and local groups to promote economic development.
It is hoped the council will be ready to bid for government funding by October.
Students aged 14 to 19 from across the county and surrounding local authorities would be eligible to apply for places.
A council report into the proposal said the new school – if approved – will offer "a different learning environment to schools and colleges, with an emphasis on digital technologies and engineering".
The funding bid is being backed by local businesses, who are also working with the council to design the college's curriculum, which will allow 14 to 16-year-olds to study a full-time academic and technical programme of study alongside the national curriculum.
The college would take on an initial 150 students in September 2017, and would eventually take on between 600 and 800 pupils from across Years 10 to 14 by 2021.
As well as those businesses and enterprises helping with the funding bid, the college is also being backed by the Institute of Directors, Surrey Chambers of Commerce and a number of other small and medium-sized enterprises from the engineering and computing industries.
The children and education select committee is set to present its recommendations to a meeting of the council's full Cabinet on September 23.
