A new £9.5m manufacturing and engineering-focused college has been given the go ahead in Leeds.
The University Technical College (UTC) advanced manufacturing college will be located at the Braime Pressings Facotry with funding coming from the Department of Education.
Work is expected to start later this year after receiveing the required planning permission and should be completed in 2016.
The new UTC will specialise in engineering and manufacturing and will help educate up to 600 young people between the ages of 14 and 19. The curriculum will focus on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
The site is a grade II-listed site and the freehold is being acquired by the UTC Trust from the current owner of the site. The plans are for three storeys of teaching room to make the most of the existing structure.
Braime is expected to re-invest about £1.1m, raised from selling 25% of the current site to the UTC, in the modernisation of its UK facility.
Braime has already vacated the area where the UTC will be located and most of the modernisation work is expected to be done in October.
UTC Leeds is supported by the Leeds Chamber of Commerce; Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP); EEF, and resources from Leeds City Council.
The UTC Trust has also developed a network of education and business sponsors within the region, including, AGFA Graphics; Siemens; Kodak; Unilever, and the University of Leeds.
