Leading manufacturers in the motorsport industry pledged their support of the new Silverstone University Technical College during a visit by HRH The Duke of York.
His Royal Highness was at a working lunch with industry leaders at Silverstone Circuit ahead of the opening of the college in September.
The college will specialise in either business and technical events management or high-performance engineering. The UTC already has the support of Silverstone Circuits, Grandstand Group for Business & Technical Events Management, Sahara Force India, Festo, Flybrid and Mahle Powertrain.
The Silverstone UTC building has passed the half-way point in its construction, and is on target for completion in August. The brand new, multi-million pound centre of excellence has been given an inspiring location, overlooking the National Pit Straight at the Silverstone Circuit, on land gifted by the BRDC.
The Duke of York, speaking after the lunch, said, “Placing a UTC at the heart of the motorsport industry cluster at Silverstone Circuit is inspired, and hopefully will inspire young people to aspire for a career in the motorsport and event management sectors.”
During the discussion, Gary Wyles, MD of Festo, outlined the challenge faced by industry: “Festo GB could lose as many as 300 man years of highly specialised experience through retirement in the next five years, and those skills are not readily available in the market. It is therefore vital that we ‘grow our own’ specialists for the future. As an SME in Northampton we cannot do it alone but we see a great opportunity to make it possible by working with Silverstone UTC.”
Helena Pettit, MD of Horse of the Year Show organisers, Grandstand Group, said of her industry: “Event Management is utilised by every business to engage customers and employees. The industry generates in excess of £3billion for the UK economy and directly employs 145,000 people. We recognise the value that the Silverstone UTC will bring in training students that will have the ability to enter the events industry with the practical knowledge to deliver immediately.”
Over the course of the discussion about the skills gap that exists, pledges of support were forthcoming from Aston Martin’s CEO, Ulrich Bez. Also present, Caterham F1 boss, Mike Gascoyne, said: “Caterham recognise that we need to invest in young engineers and we are taking that seriously by supporting Silverstone UTC.”
Dick Glover, director of Research at McLaren Automotive, said: “I am delighted to see Neil Patterson progress from his distinguished career as a chief engineer at McLaren Automotive into a senior role in state education. To have someone of Neil’s calibre as the Principal of Silverstone UTC is exactly what is needed to raise the profile of high value manufacturing in the UK, and provide the rigorous and relevant training for our engineers and technicians of the future.”
Principal Designate of Silverstone UTC, Neil Patterson said, “I am very grateful to His Royal Highness for lending his support to Silverstone UTC, a flagship for the UTC movement. We have have secured new commitments from prestigious employers such as Aston Martin, Caterham F1 and McLaren. This strengthens our ability to lead in the provision of best in class education for our students, meeting the needs of the region’s employers.”
In order to give all students the attention they need, numbers are restricted at the UTC, but there are still places available for students planning their 6th Form study and who want to gain a big advantage in their career through a rich, unique learning experience that will remain with them for a lifetime.