University Technical College Bolton set to open and provide top-class dental lab for students

University Technical CollegeA brand new University Technical College (UTC) is set to open in Bolton.

This school will give students the chance to develop essential practical skills in dentistry.

University Technical Colleges are government-funded schools that offer a new pathway to education for 14-19-year-olds.

They have been developed in response to the needs of industry and present skill gaps (www.utcolleges.org, 2014).

University Technical College Bolton will specialise in health sciences and engineering technologies, which are areas of skill shortages both locally and nationally.

In addition to the normal school curriculum, individuals will undertake employer led projects in:

  • Electronics and telematics
  • Robotics
  • Assisted health technologies (prosthetics)
  • Energy and fluids
  • Pharmacy and medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Engineering ergonomics.

The school is the first University Technical College to be built on a university campus, which is hoped to give students a clear sight from GCSE to PhD, and to prepare them for both employment and university.

Students will benefit from the expertise of leading university lecturers, practitioners and specialists.

They will also have access to the facilities at both the University of Bolton and the Bolton Education Zone.

Bolton’s Education Zone alone has seen more than £100 million invested in new educational facilities, and with the development of University Technical College Bolton, a further £10 million will be spent to complement and enhance the existing provision.

Access to specialist equipment and laboratories will allow the school to deliver academic rigour set in a technical context.

UTC Bolton hopes that the outstanding educational environment will inspire young people to higher aspirations and to reach their full potential.

Sponsors of the school include Genix Healthcare Limited and Sparkle Dental Labs.

Mustafa Mohammed, CEO of Genix Healthcare and Sparkle Dental Labs, said: ‘University Technical College Bolton is a pioneer on many fronts.

‘It is the first University Technical College that is truly an integral part of the university campus set in the grounds of the university.

‘This is where colleagues and I will work with academic staff and teachers to ensure the learning is not only academically rigorous, but is also contextualised in developing practical and applied knowledge.

‘Secondly, this is the only school in England that has a dental laboratory where GCSE and A Level students will read science subjects in conjunction with the making of dentures, carrying out fillings and teeth extraction.

‘The specially designed equipment will give students well-regarded work experience to enable them to succeed in the future.’

References

www.utcolleges.org/ (2014) retrieved 14 November 2014.

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