A NEW North-East engineering centre of excellence will provide youngsters with better skills than mainstream education, it has been claimed.

The Baker Dearing Educational Trust says students attending University Technical Colleges feel more confident about getting a job and building a strong career.

The report comes as work gets closer to starting on the £10m South Durham UTC, which will be built in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, to train thousands of youngsters in engineering and advanced manufacturing skills from September 2016.

According to the Baker Dearing research, nearly 90 per cent of UTC students believe the colleges provide a stronger platform to succeed in work, with 86 per cent convinced it will help them get a job when leaving education.

The findings, taken from the views of 850 students, aged between 14 and 18, also revealed nearly 70 per cent feel their prospects are better than if they stayed in school, with girls at UTCs in Year Ten and 11 more confident about learning maths and science.

Reacting to the study, Tom Dower, South Durham UTC principal designate, a former ICI project manager and manufacturing consultant, said it proved the colleges’ value.

He said: “This survey demonstrates very clearly the impact of UTCs on the skills and confidence of young people.

“At South Durham, we will reinforce this impact with direct links with businesses, high-quality equipment and hands-on learning all contributing to preparing students for their future.”

The South Durham site will stand close to Hitachi Rail Europe’s £82m 730-job Aycliffe train building factory, and Darren Cumner, the firm’s plant manager and UTC trustee, reiterated the need to nurture the next generation.

He added: “Investing in the long-term skills development of rail engineers is a key priority for us.

“We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise and to seeing engineers trained at the Hitachi-sponsored UTC working at our rail facility, bringing train manufacturing back to the North-East.”

Approved by the Government last year, the UTC is led by the University of Sunderland, with support from Hitachi and Aycliffe-based car parts maker Gestamp Tallent, and backing from the Department for Education as a state-funded but independent school.

Officials say it will help plug a regional skills gap, with the area expected to lose up to 8,500 engineers to retirement by next year.