Hull’s employer-led school, Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), is celebrating a decade of working closely with many of the region’s leading businesses.
2025 marks 10 years since a UTC in Hull was given the green light by the then Chancellor George Osborne. Since then, the school and its Employer Partners have equipped many hundreds of young people with the skills they need to thrive in the world of work.
The anniversary was marked at an employer breakfast event, when school staff and representatives from the partner companies and organisations celebrated the UTC’s successes, including recently retaining its Ofsted Outstanding status.
The idea of an employer-led school in the city was the brainchild of then MP for Hull West and Hessle, Alan Johnson, who is now Ron Dearing UTC’s Patron, and the project was driven forward by business leaders, including Charlie Spencer OBE, Executive Chairman of Hull-based engineering company Spencer Group, and Finbarr Dowling, who was then Project Director for Siemens Gamesa in Hull.
Following the Government’s approval of a UTC for Hull in 2015, the school opened its doors in September 2017 and has since welcomed over 2,000 students.
The school offers students a unique way to learn, giving them the edge in the competition for in-demand apprenticeships and university places. Since the school opened, 60% of students have gone on to university, while 40% have secured apprenticeships – 80% of these in the school’s priority sectors, including engineering, digital technology and creative digital.
Ron Dearing UTC now has more than 60 Employer Partners who work alongside the school’s experienced teaching staff to equip students with the skills, qualifications and maturity required by leading businesses and vital to supporting the growth of the region’s economy.
The Employer Partners are led by Founding Partners KCOM, Reckitt, Siemens Gamesa, Smith+Nephew and Spencer Group who, together with lead education partner, the University of Hull, have worked closely with the school from day one.
Over the past 18 months alone, the UTC has welcomed 14 new Employer Partners from both the private and public sectors, such as BAE Systems, Associated British Ports, Centrica, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Employer Partners play an integral part in helping students grow into well-rounded young people equipped with the knowledge, professional qualities and confidence to succeed in their next steps.
They contribute to curriculum development and decisions about qualifications, as well as participating in the design and delivery of project-based learning. They also provide internship and work placement opportunities for students, and information, advice and guidance about career opportunities within their sector.
Employer Partners benefit from access to future employees who are work-ready and equipped with the qualifications and skills the business needs. They also enjoy increased brand visibility, support with developing apprenticeship programmes, opportunities to advertise job vacancies and networking with other school partners.
Ron Dearing UTC recently deepened the relationship by launching a new reporting tool to provide Employer Partners with a detailed breakdown of their work with the school and the social value this delivers.
Senior Assistant Principal Glenn Jenson said: “It has been a pleasure to work closely with some of the biggest businesses in our region to provide Hull’s young people with a unique learning environment that equips them with the skills and tools they need to thrive in employment.
“Over the past 10 years we’ve developed a curriculum that combines exciting and relevant qualifications with project-based learning and high-value workplace experiences to really set them apart.
“We continue to bring on board even more partners, to provide our students with a broad and rich insight into the key industries in our region, and we’re excited to see what the next 10 years brings.”
Charlie Spencer OBE, Founding Chair of Governors of Ron Dearing UTC and Executive Chairman of Founding Partner Spencer Group, said: “2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Government approval for Ron Dearing UTC and it’s been an amazing journey over the past decade.
“The school has been an absolutely outstanding success, delivering on its objective to produce young people with the skills, qualifications, maturity and aptitude to thrive in the world of work.
“Critical to that success has been the role of the Employer Partners, who support the school through additional funding, curriculum design and delivery, mentorship, student projects and apprenticeships. Ron Dearing is truly an employer-led school.
“It’s exciting that Ron Dearing UTC now has so many Employer Partners, including leading businesses in sectors vital to the region’s growth and prosperity. Those employers are helping the school go from strength to strength and enabling hundreds of young people to get the edge in the competition for exciting apprenticeships and university places.”