The £10 million UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus is due to open this September and will specialise in healthcare and sports sciences, and computing.

Construction of the four-storey facility at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park on Attercliffe Common is progressing well. The foundations and drainage have been completed, and more than half of the steel frame is in place. Work will start on the concrete floor slabs next.

Today a stone laying ceremony took place led by Rt. Hon. Richard Caborn, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Project Lead, and Councillor Julie Dore, Sheffield City Council Leader.

Representatives from UTC Sheffield, The Sheffield College, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and employers supporting the project, including Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, BirchenhallHowden and Sheffield City Trust Group, attended.

Rt. Hon. Richard Caborn, Project Lead, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, said: “The stone-laying ceremony celebrates an exciting milestone for the UTC and, indeed, for the whole Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. The UTC will play a pivotal role within the Park. It will provide young people with a well-rounded education and specific skills so that they can go forward, as the next generation, and develop ground-breaking innovations for health and wellbeing.”

Councillor Julie Dore, Sheffield City Council Leader, added: “Sheffield City Council is proud that the city’s first UTC has been such a resounding success and we are delighted to celebrate the second one getting off the ground, especially at the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. This exciting new facility will invest in the required skills of the next generation, ensuing great prospects for our young people as well as supporting employers and regional growth.”

Nick Crew, Executive Principal, UTC Sheffield, said: “I want to say a massive ‘thank you’ to our key sponsors and supporters. The way that the UTC has been embraced in this city has been phenomenal, leading to an amazing second facility for Sheffield that will offer great careers for young people across the region in sectors that are growing.”

Jason Pink, BAM’s Construction Manager, added: “We’ve made an excellent start and construction is on track. We’ve formed strong and honest partnerships here and that is the secret of making buildings happen, and it’s one reason why BAM is the leading contractor of UTCs in the UK.”

UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus is being launched to address skills shortages in Sheffield City Region. Students complete a technical qualification as well as A Levels and GCSEs.  The curriculum has been designed with employers to enable young people to gain the skills and training sought by the healthcare and sports sciences and computing sectors, to support the needs of regional employers.

The facility is being built by BAM Construction and has been designed by Bond Bryan Architects. It will have capacity for 600 students aged 14 to 19 from across Sheffield City Region. The Sheffield College is the lead sponsor. Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Chamber of Commerce are co–sponsors. More than 50 employers are supporting UTC Sheffield overall.

Paul Corcoran, Chief Executive, The Sheffield College, said: “It’s great to be involved in this ambitious new project. As the lead sponsor, we want to work with partners for the benefit of the city providing the next generation with strong career prospects and supporting regional business growth. We need more young people studying science and technology subjects such as healthcare, sports science and computing. Having access to outstanding facilities at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park will play an important role in attracting more students to those disciplines.”

Richard Wright, Executive Director, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chair of the UTC Sheffield Multi Academy Trust, said: “The feedback from employers about the students at the first UTC has been excellent. I’m confident we will see similar achievements at this UTC and will have done a great thing for skills development in the Sheffield City Region.”

Places are still available this September for young people to join the UTC at the age of 14 in Year 10 and 16 in Year 12. Visit www.www.olp.utcsheffield.org.uk or call 0114 2603970. Recruitment will be phased over three years. The catchment area is Sheffield City Region, which includes South Yorkshire and parts of North Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Employers supporting the second UTC include the Sheffield Eagles, Sheffield Sharks, Sheffield International Venues, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University of Sheffield, Goldfish Systems, Yoomee, Mundojumbo, The Better With Data Society, Home Office, Team Active, BirchenhallHowden, Scrapbook Development and Sero Consulting.

Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As one of the biggest employers in the Sheffield City Region we have a long track record of community engagement and have been working with schools in Sheffield for over ten years. This UTC is a fantastic opportunity for our scientific, technical and computing staff to co-design real projects that interest young people and showcase the many careers the NHS has to offer. Many of our staff went to school, college or university in Sheffield and by forging these relationships early when young people are beginning to think about their career options we can provide them with insights and experience in the world of healthcare.”

Neill Birchenall, Managing Director of Sheffield-based technology firm BirchenhallHowden, said: “We are excited to be an employer supporter of the UTC. The technology sector has fantastic prospects and opportunities, and the skills acquired as part of the innovative UTC curriculum will be perfect for future employment with companies such as BirchenallHowden. We look forward to seeing how our involvement takes shape over the coming years and are sure it will be mutually beneficial to both our business and the UTC students.”

The UTC is part of a broader multi-million pound investment in cutting edge facilities for healthcare technologies, sports and sports science, at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.