UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus on Attercliffe Common is due to open this September. The £10 million facility for 14 to 19-year-olds will specialise in healthcare and sports sciences, and computing.
 
A topping out ceremony is a tradition held to bring luck to a new building, and celebrates the tallest point being reached.
 
UTC project sponsors, partners, employers and Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts took part in the celebration on Thursday 21 April. To mark the occasion, guests signed a cladding panel which will be fixed into place on the building.
 
Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “Sheffield is once again leading the way in creating a lasting legacy for generations. The young people who study here at the University Technical College, which is part of the Olympic Legacy Park, will be the innovators of the future. They’ll learn in world class facilities, giving them fantastic skills in industries such as healthcare, sports sciences and computing. An exciting future lies ahead of them.”
 
Nick Crew, Executive Principal, UTC Sheffield, said: “The topping out ceremony marks an exciting milestone as we move towards opening the city’s second UTC, providing employers with the technical skills they need and young people with great career prospects. Sheffield has led the way in Yorkshire, being the first to open a UTC. It is fitting that Sir Gary Verity has celebrated the latest development with us.”
 
The Sheffield College is the lead sponsor of both of the city’s UTCs. Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry are co–sponsors.  
 
Jason Pepper, Executive Director, The Sheffield College and Chair of the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Steering Committee, said: “I want to thank employers, sponsors and partners for their ongoing support of this fantastic project that is responding to business needs, supporting the city’s economic growth and investing in the education, training and skills of the next generation.”
 
Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, added: “It is very encouraging to see the city’s second UTC breathing new life into the area, and providing a legacy for young people and employers, as part of the broader multi-million pound Olympic Legacy Park development.”
 
Representatives from Welcome to Yorkshire, UTC Sheffield, The Sheffield College, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BAM Construct UK, Medilink Yorkshire and Humber, Swann-Morton, Creative Sheffield and Legacy Park Ltd attended the topping out ceremony.
 
Jason Brannan, Public Relations and Communications Director for Medilink Yorkshire and Humber, based on Smithy Wood Drive in Sheffield, which supports the growth of healthcare and life sciences technologies, was one of the ceremony speakers.
 
He said: “Our sector relies greatly on high quality technical skills across all disciplines but it does not often appear on the radar of young people looking to forge a career in this region. The coming together of education, business and high quality facilities at the UTC provides an opportunity to address this and in turn have a direct impact on the fortunes of organisations across our sector.”
 
Construction of the new building is progressing well. The steel frame has been completed, and the majority of the cladding has been installed. The next stage will see the installation of the windows, partition walls and electrical equipment.
 
UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus is being launched to address skills shortages in the healthcare and sports sciences, and computing sectors in Sheffield City Region. The curriculum has been designed with employers. Students complete a technical qualification as well as A Levels and GCSEs. 
 
The facilities include a three-dimensional motion capture studio, sports science laboratory, fitness suite, health and development suite including a flexible ward set up and area for an ambulance, a research laboratory, and computer suites.
 
Students will be able to go on to careers in medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nursing and midwifery, or, for example, become an elite athlete, sports scientist, cyber security analyst, games developer or web developer. Places are still available for this September. Visit http://www.utcsheffield.org.uk.
 
The UTC is being built by BAM Construct UK and has been designed by Bond Bryan Architects. It will have capacity for 600 students from Sheffield City Region, which includes South Yorkshire and parts of North Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
 
More than 50 employers are supporting UTC Sheffield overall. The UTC is part of a broader multi-million pound investment in cutting edge facilities for healthcare technologies, sports and sports science, on the Olympic Legacy Park.