THE NEW head of Swindon’s planned £10m University Technical College (UTC) is confident she will be able to fill the 300 places available at the institute in its first year.

Angela Barker-Dench will become the college’s principal in September, overseeing the construction of the facility, the marketing work to attract pupils, and the recruitment of staff before the doors open a year later.

UTC Swindon - which will specialise in engineering, business, enterprise and entrepreneurship - will cater for 14 to 19-year-olds. It will be built on the Mill Site, off Bristol Street, and will work with local companies and other partners to offer its pupils education and training.

Work on enrolment of students is now beginning, with the first of a series of open meetings scheduled for 6.30pm on July 11 at Steam.

More are planned after Angela, currently vice principal at Capel Manor College in Enfield, takes up her role in September She hopes the new facilities, UTC’s link to Swindon’s industrial heritage, and the new teaching staff will be enough of a draw to fill half of the school’s capacity in the first year. “I think it will be very, very successful and I believe we will be giving something back into Swindon with young people that are ready for work,” she said.

The soon-to-be principal is urging parents to apply as quickly as possible once applications for places open in September this year.

In the first year, students would be able to enrol for either Year 10, aged 14, or Year 12, aged 16. Each year group will take a maximum of 150 children.

Angela said the strong demand for engineering places in similar institutions elsewhere has given her high hopes she can fill the centre’s 600-strong capacity in two years.

“There’s already a lot of UTCs in the field of engineering, which are very successful,” she said.

“JCB in Staffordshire has been very successful and students have gone on to do great things after they have left the academy.

“There’s been great interest in the UTC in the Black Country which has also been engineering-based.

One of the challenges UTC Swindon faces is working with schools to promote the UTC as an option to parents. This will be particularly difficult as the bodies will be competing for pupils, which form the basis of their government funding. Many schools also offer offer pupals rival sixth forms and even engineering courses.

Angela, who was once a director on the senior management team at Swindon College, hopes to build links with local secondary headteachers by sharing facilities.

She also suggested school staff might be able to use UTC’s facilities for their own professional development.

She said: “It’s difficult to say there won’t be some resistance because naturally there’s likely to be some resistance.

“But I’m absolutely sure we have got some very good headteachers in Swindon that will want to work for the benefit of pupils, putting in place what’s best for them.”

“We’re very much looking to work together with the local schools and FE college.”