EDUCATION bosses are moving closer to making another senior appointment at a £10m college as completion of the site looms larger, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Officials behind the South Durham University Technical College (UTC), in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, are pushing to fill the role of deputy principal.

The job will be fundamental to the running of the UTC, which is led by the University of Sunderland and expected to open in September.

Teaching youngsters between 14 and 19-years-old, it will help students gain technical qualifications in a business environment by providing extended work placements, as well as core GCSE subjects, such as English, maths, science and IT.

Tom Dower, UTC principal, revealed its recruitment drive as The Northern Echo visited the college’s Aycliffe base for a construction update.

Under the direction of contractor Willmott Dixon, workers have already erected steelwork for classrooms, which has come from suppliers in Middlesbrough and Thirsk, North Yorkshire, and fitted roofing and cladding.

Electrical systems and windows are now also going in at the site, which is based near Hitachi Rail Europe’s £82m train building factory.

Mr Dower said he is thrilled with the progress, adding interest from students has been strong.

He said: “Building work is progressing in line with the construction programme and we’re on target to be finished before we open this September.

“Student recruitment has been going very well and we have an excellent range of businesses who are keen to work with us.

“We’ve just started staff recruitment, with the advert for our deputy principal live now, and we have had very strong interest from people who want to work with us.

“It’s all systems go for September.”

Mr Dower also revealed there will be two open nights this month for prospective students and their parents to find out more about the UTC.

The events take place on Thursday, February 11, and Wednesday, February 24, from 4.30 pm until 6.30pm, at Hitachi’s factory.

Places on the open nights must be booked online at utcsouthdurham.org/news-and-events

The UTC is supported by Hitachi and Aycliffe car chassis maker Gestamp Tallent, who both need the next generation to maintain their growth.

The college aims to take on 240 pupils in its first year, made up of 120 Year Ten and 120 Year 12 pupils.

That number is expected to swell to 540 in the 2017/2018 school year, including 300 Year Ten and Year 12 pupils and 240 Year 11 and Year 13 students, and 600 in 2018/2019, with 150 youngsters across every group.

The deadline for applications for the UTC Year Ten and Year 12 intake for September is Tuesday, March 1.