College to serve Newhaven and Brighton seeks first principal

A university technical college that will serve Newhaven, Brighton and the surrounding area is looking for its first principal.

The sponsors behind the Newhaven University Technical College want a leader in place with the UTC due to open in September next year.

The backers include Brighton University and the Aldridge Foundation, which sponsors two schools in Brighton and Hove.

The new UTC will focus on the skills in demand by the growing marine engineering and environmental technology sectors in the area.

Students will be able to enter in Year 10 or Year 12 and will study for GCSEs and A levels alongside technical qualifications such as BTECs, NVQs and the Technical Baccalaureate.

The aim is for the 14 to 19-year-olds to study in the grade II listed Marine Workshops at Railway Quay, just two minutes from Newhaven Town Station.

A public consultation is taking place as the UTC’s backers prepare a planning application which they hope to submit at the end of the month.

More than 60 people went along to a recent exhibition and gave the plans a positive response along with a number of suggestions.

Project director Sue Simmons, from the Aldridge Foundation, said: “Our first principal will have a superb building and facilities to work with, but starting a new school takes exceptional skills.

“We are seeking an exceptional leader who will link academic and technical learning, articulating the excitement of the engineering curriculum to all of our students and ensuring that they are impeccably prepared for the world of work or further education.”

Along with Brighton University and the Aldridge Foundation, a charity set up by Sir Rod Aldridge, the former Portslade schoolboy who became a millionaire businessman, the sponsors include Veolia Environmental Services and Lewes District Council.

More information about the UTC and the planning consultation can be found at www.newhavenutc.co.uk.