Tech school for the 21st century

Oldham Academy North, formerly Grange School.

OLDHAM College will open one of the country’s new wave of technical schools for 14 to 19-year-olds in September next year.

It will eventually have up to 600 pupils who will take GCSEs alongside specialist courses in construction and sustainable engineering.

The North-East Greater Manchester University Technical College (UTC) will be a partnership between the college, Bolton University and businesses.

It will aim to give young people the specialist skills that employers want, and encourage more girls and pupils from ethnic minorities to become engineers.

The Oldham Chronicle understands that the former Grange School site is the preferred location for the UTC because it will be close to the new Metrolink extension, making access easy for pupils to travel from across North-East Manchester.

The school was taken over by Oldham Academy North which moves to a new building in Royton after Easter.

The Government announced today that 13 new UTCs will open from September, 2014, backed by more than 140 major employers and universities.

Oldham’s is the only one in the North West in those announced today.

They join five that are already open and 27 that are preparing to open from this September.
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