A board of technical school alumni has been formed to give young people a greater voice in decisions affecting thousands of students.

The UTC Alumni Board launches today (17 November) during #thinkUTC week, an annual celebration of University Technical Colleges: 44 secondary schools delivering specialist technical education curricula which the board members attended.

The board is composed of nine alumni who progressed from a UTC to careers in a wide variety of industry sectors across England.

Its aim is to engage former students in shaping the future of UTCs. By drawing on their real-world experience, the board will guide strategic planning, build meaningful ties with employers, and strengthen the bridge between education and industry.

The alumni have already started working on initiatives to promote the board and shine a light on the high-quality, employer-led UTCs and their talented and ambitious students.

Throughout #thinkUTC week, several of the board will be visiting UTCs to meet with current students and explain the work of the board.

The members of the board are as follows:

• Lucie Gresham-Hill (Chair), UTC Norfolk alumna, now working as an assistant build manager for Willmott Dixon.
• Oliver Walkington (Vice Chair), Ron Dearing UTC alumni, a quantity surveyor for Spencer Bridge Engineering.
• Bilal Arshad, Aston University Engineering Academy alumni, a building services design engineering apprentice for Cundall.
• Jessica Rawlinson, Crewe UTC alumna, a degree apprentice in civil engineering with Balfour Beatty.
• Lyla Chandler, Energy Coast UTC alumna, a project management degree apprentice for Morgan Sindall.
• Alisha-Page Leather, a UTC South Durham alumna, a technical degree apprentice for Sellafield.
• Rose Moody, a Leigh UTC alumna, a degree apprentice in manufacturing engineering at AWE.
• Daniel Neve, a Warrington UTC alumni, a cyber security analyst for Crowdstrike.
• Urban Judge FRSA, Global Academy alumni, now the CEO of YouthTV.

Lucie Gresham-Hill commented:

“It is a real privilege to launch the board during this great celebration of the UTC programme.

“Our board will work for all UTC students and leavers to help them get the best experience from their education.

“It will also help unify our community of alumni, many of whom have gone on to excel in a wide range of industries.

“A broad and collaborative alumni community will demonstrate to stakeholders and the public the transformative impact of a UTC education, hopefully enabling more young people to benefit in the way our board members have.”

Chief Executive of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust Kate Ambrosi commented:

“I’m really pleased that the UTC Alumni Board is launching this week.

“It will build a supportive network of former UTC students, giving them the kind of opportunities that many state school students miss out on.

“This includes networking that could lead to new collaborations and careers, a chance to shape the UTC experience for future students, and the opportunity to connect with old and new friends.

“The board will also show how well UTCs prepare young people for successful and fulfilling lives, by gathering together ex-students who have gone on to great things.

“We look forward to receiving the board’s feedback on the strategic direction of the UTC programme and their suggestions for improvement.”