Ron Dearing UTC’s new Year 10 and Year 12 cohort enjoyed an additional Open Event at the school to find out more about the year ahead and the exciting options available to them.

Hundreds of new Year 10 students who have been offered a place to join the UTC in September heard from key members of the school’s Senior Leadership Team as they prepare to hit the ground running at the start of the new academic year.

Attending with their families, they were given more information about the core curriculum, including English Language and Literature, Maths and Sciences, as well as details on their options for Engineering, Digital and Computing, Art and Design and Photography courses.

The new students heard how they will log all enrichment activities and courses they complete throughout their Ron Dearing journey to demonstrate their level of employability and found out more about the school’s 40-hour working week before meeting individual staff members.

Jay Riley, 13, who attended the event with his dad Adam, said: “I’m really excited to join Ron Dearing UTC in Year 10 in September. There are so many options here and I’d like to study Engineering.”

 

Adam said: “The way Ron Dearing UTC operates is great. They’re gearing young people up for the world of work and a proper working week. Studying Engineering at this age will put Jay ahead for the future. I’m really pleased for him.”

Phoebe Rackley, 14, is also joining Year 10 at Ron Dearing UTC in September and is looking forward to completing a photography course as one of her options.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to being a Ron Dearing UTC student and think I will love it. I received a digital camera for my birthday and I’m looking forward to using it.”

Prospective Year 12 students who have been offered a provisional place in Ron Dearing UTC’s sixth form based on their grades also attended the Open Event, alongside prospective Year 12 students who are interested in Creative, Maths and Science courses but have not yet applied to join in September.

Members of the UTC’s Senior Leadership Team told the students and their families about the outstanding employer-led projects they could work on, the school’s approach to careers, advice and guidance, professional qualifications they could complete and support available to move on to positive destinations once they leave sixth form.

 

They heard more about building their own personal brand and important skills they’ll learn which will underpin their future choices, opportunities for Industry Insight experiences and placements, and the school’s exciting expansion plans.

Ron Dearing UTC is currently undergoing expansion to increase its capacity from 600 to 800 students following growing demand and will open STEAM Studios within Hull’s former Central Fire Station nearby in summer.

Ruby Morfitt, 15, is already a Ron Dearing UTC student and hopes to achieve the required grades to secure her place in the sixth form in September. She attended the Open Event with her parents, Nicola and Patrick.

Ruby said: “Ron Daring UTC is a great place to learn and the teachers are brilliant because they treat us as young adults. I’ve had a really good experience here so far and I hope it can continue.”

Steve Willacy, Head of School at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “We had a fantastic turnout for the Open Event and it was great to be able to meet so many of our 2023 cohort, as well as Year 12 students who have not yet applied, in one evening.

“It’s brilliant to be able to bring them up to speed with what to expect as they prepare to hit the ground running in September. We’re looking forward to another fantastic year ahead.”

A limited number of places are available to join Ron Dearing UTC’s sixth form in September. Prospective Year 12 students who would like to join are asked to visit www.rondearingutc.com/apply for more information and to apply as soon as possible.

Two Year 13 students at Ron Dearing UTC have scooped first place and a string of further accolades in the Regional Finals of the F1 in Schools UK challenge, securing their place on the starting grid of the National Finals later this year.

Mach Racing, comprising of Jess MacLachlan and Mercy McFarlane, competed against various other schools from across the country at the National STEM Learning Centre in York as the latest season of the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition got underway.

They were crowned overall Regional Champions, with their car reaching the end of the track in just 1.333 seconds. In addition, the team also won awards for Lightening Reaction Time, Pit Display, Team Identity and Sponsorship and Marketing in all classes.

Jess and Mercy also competed in the first round of last year’s Formula 1-inspired competition and won the Star Quality: Verbal Presentation Award.

It is the second consecutive year a Ron Dearing UTC team has taken the top spot in the Regional Finals of the competition. The UTC’s Vortex Racing team won first place last year and went on to compete in the National Finals.

 

Jess and Mercy were accompanied at this year’s Regional Finals by Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal – Employer Engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, Cieran Dowling, Ron Dearing UTC’s F1 in Schools Coordinator, and Laura Wiles, a member of the school’s Sixth Form Pastoral team.

Jess said: “It feels amazing to win. This journey has been tough but it was all worth it in the end.

“To finally pick up that number one trophy felt fantastic. F1 in Schools has taught us so much and we wanted to give up many times but we’re thankful we persevered.”

Mercy said: “Winning the F1 in Schools Regional Finals was an amazing feeling, proving that dedication and hard work was worth it. It also feels great knowing we have influenced many young students along the way.

“Throughout the competition I’ve become more confident in myself and with public speaking, as well as becoming a better engineer and critical thinker.”

 

The F1 in Schools challenge sees more than one million schoolchildren from 40 countries take part each year. Each team designs and manufactures and miniature car based on the official F1 model using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

The cars are powered using CO₂ cartridges and are attached to a 25m track by a nylon wire and raced. The teams also design their own branding and logos, plan social media and marketing strategies to promote themselves, deliver presentations and raise sponsorship for their teams.

Glenn said: “This is an absolutely fantastic achievement for Mach Racing. Not only are they the regional winners but they also picked up awards for the hard work they’ve put in over the last two years.

“We’re extremely proud that two of our aspiring young female engineers have been able to achieve this and we can’t wait for the National Finals later this year. We’re very proud of Jess and Mercy and they should be very proud of themselves too.”

Three Year 11 students from Ron Dearing UTC travelled to Parliament to demand climate change action.

Hull’s Young Mayor Amaya Newman and fellow students Josh Bishoprick and Aoife Curran-Smirk, all 16, joined young people from Taunton, Skegness and Suffolk in Westminster Hall to plead with parliamentarians and Government officials to protect their communities from the impact of flooding.

They asked them to accept amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that would help to protect homes from flooding.

The event was organised in partnership with rights and climate group Rights Community Action and creative collective Glimpse as part of the #WeAreHere campaign, which empowers “at risk” local communities across the country to speak out about how they are under threat from climate change.

Chris Berry, Assistant Principal – Cultural Capital at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our students for giving very confident, powerful speeches and holding those in power to account.

 

 

“They asked intelligent questions and made politicians sit up and listen. They saw politics in action and it has helped them to realise that politics is for young people from Hull, not just for people from other areas.”

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill entered committee stage in the House of Lords on February 20. Baroness Hayman has proposed a ‘community resilience to climate change’ amendment no. 270, responding to the needs of people and places who are facing uncertain and risky futures.

Ron Dearing UTC students shared their stories about the threat posed by climate change and displayed some of their artwork inspired by the Shorelines Hull project.

Shorelines has been running in the city for the last three years and saw Ron Dearing students create a mural with Mexican artist Gustavo Chavez Pavon in December 2021.

Aoife said: “Living in Hull, we already know about the impact of climate change after the catastrophic floods of 2007.

“We think the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill is a fantastic opportunity for the government to show they are serious about tackling the climate crisis and the massive impact it has on communities such as ours.”

Josh said: “I don’t want Hull to flood again. Raising awareness on such a grand scale and having my voice heard was the most important part for me.

“We have to take action and it was a really good opportunity to do that. It was a nerve-wracking but liberating experience.”

 

Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy was among the MPs who hosted the event. Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis and Flooding Minister Rebecca Pow MP also attended to listen to the students.

The Ron Dearing students are now preparing to send an open letter to more than 50 MPs in flood risk areas to summarise their climate change thoughts following the event.

Emma said: “It was a pleasure to host this event for the students of Ron Dearing UTC. Hull is in the firing line of climate change-affected flooding from all sides, with increased rainfall, rivers and rising tides.

“It’s vital our young people understand the challenges ahead and learn how they can better effect change through the democratic process. I hope their visit demystifies what goes on in Parliament and opens up new ways for them to lobby for the future they deserve and that we all need.”

Naomi Luhde-Thompson, Director of Rights Community Action, said: “It was fantastic to see the students speaking truth to power in Parliament.

“Their heartfelt concern on climate change and commitment to the places in which they live should be a massive boost for changes to the Bill currently going through the House of Lords.

“We need laws that can be relied on rather than policies that can be changed at the drop of a hat and the climate crisis needs long-term solutions in places like Hull and Skegness.

“Our #WeAreHere project, along with our partners Glimpse, is now helping to bring these young people’s voices to Parliament and to make sure they are heard.”

Sixth form computing students from Ron Dearing UTC took part in a challenging residential trip in the Lake District to boost their confidence, resilience, communication and teamwork skills.

Run by The Outward Bound Trust in Ullswater, the trip saw 10 Year 13 students embrace team-building, orienteering, canoeing and an overnight expedition over five days.

The UTC’s Employer Partners, which offer apprenticeship and employment opportunities to Ron Dearing students each year, encourage teamwork and communication skills in their workforces and the trip was designed to build on those areas to help set students up for the future.

Day one of the trip included team-building games, a jog and a swim in the lake, while day two was focused on orienteering. The students were awarded points which could be converted into money to buy materials to build a raft and sail it back across the lake.

They had to plan the route, how to build the raft and establish what kit they’d need to meet the requirements of the challenge.

Day three was the start of the 10-mile expedition, which involved climbing the Seat Sandal fell from Patterdale, staying in a hut overnight, and walking to Glenridding the following day.

The focus was on working as a team, ensuring no one was left behind, and the students ate meals from ration packs.

Day four saw the students canoe four miles from Glenridding back to the Outward Bound base in Ullswater.

Jason White, Head of Computing at Ron Dearing UTC, and Digital Teacher Robbie Olsen accompanied the students on the trip and completed the activities with them, encouraging and supporting them along the way.

Robbie said: “Some of the students had never done anything like this before and they all gained very valuable skills. They were pushed out of their comfort zones and they all did really well.

“Experiences like this build on the students’ confidence, communication and teamwork skills, which our Employer Partners want to see in their future apprentices.  It’s character-building and it also gives them  wider experiences to include on CVs and discuss during interviews.

“It was a fantastic week and we’re looking forward to taking more sixth form students along for the experience next year.”

The Outward Bound Trust aims to inspire young people to believe they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. The charity partners with schools, colleges, employers and youth groups to teach young people to believe in themselves.

Following the trip’s success, it will now become an annual event and another is planned for a further 12 Year 13 students in October.

Kenzi Wilson, 17, said: “It was hard work but I gained a lot from it. It improved my confidence and I found the experience very enriching. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

Fellow Year 13 student Layla Richards, 18, said: “The trip taught us how to work as a team and I really enjoyed canoeing. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Ben Garner, 17, added: “The trip helped me to improve my social skills. I’d like an apprenticeship to become and IT Engineer with one of the school’s employer partners when I leave Ron Dearing UTC. If I can communicate better in a team, it will help me in the future.”

RDUTC is oversubscribed for places in Year 10. As a result we applied our oversubscription criteria last week to select those students to be offered places (see Admission policy).

Letters have now been posted to parents/carers of students who have been offered places.  Those parents/carers must complete and return the acceptance form included with the letter.

We are really sorry that we are unable to offer places to all students who applied.

Please note:

We only contact parents/carers of students who have been offered  a place in the first instance. We then wait to see if they accept their places.  If any don’t, we will apply our oversubscription criteria to select another student from those who weren’t selected the first time. This can go on for a few weeks.  Once we get to the end of March, we will contact all parents/carers of students who haven’t been offered places and ask if they want to go on the waiting list.

RDUTC will continue to take applications for Year 10 until 31st August.  These applications will be included in the oversubscription criteria selection process should a place become available.

If you would like further information, please contact Mark Ollerenshaw (Vice Principal) by email at mollerenshaw@rondearingutc.com

Ron Dearing UTC students involved in a global Formula 1 racing-inspired competition held an event to celebrate their achievements and introduce more teams to the contest.

Two teams from the employer-led school – Vortex Racing and Mach Racing – entered the F1 in Schools challenge, the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition, for the first time last year.

Vortex Racing won the regional finals with the fastest car, progressing to compete at national level, and celebrated their success at Porsche Centre Hull at Bridgehead Business Park in Hessle.

Mach Racing, who won the Star Quality: Verbal Presentation Award for the region in the first round of the competition last year, are racing again in next month’s regional finals in York and tested their vehicles at the event.

The evening also saw two additional Ron Dearing UTC teams – Impulse Racing and Magna Racing – announce their entry into the next F1 in Schools competition later this year and launch a bid for sponsorship from the school’s employer partners, alongside other businesses and invited guests from across the region.

 

 

The teams pitched to potential sponsors, including representatives from the UTC’s employer partners, other leading businesses across the region and the students’ families and friends, about how their logos would be displayed and promoted on an international stage in the competition.

Based on the official F1 model, the F1 in Schools teams design and manufacture their miniature cars using specialist computer software. They also develop their brand, time management and budgeting skills, build their social media presence and link up with businesses to raise sponsorship for their teams.

The cars are powered by CO2 cartridges and are attached to a 25-metre track by a nylon wire and raced. They are timed by a computer from the moment they are launched to when they pass the finish line.

Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal – Employer Engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people supporting our F1 in Schools students at the event and we’d like to thank Porsche Centre Hull for their incredible hospitality.

“It’s so important for our students to take part in initiatives such as this. It’s about linking them to industry and giving them the best advice and guidance possible, so they can make a difference outside their school lives.

“F1 in Schools really contributes towards this and equips them with skills for life.”

 

As part of their fundraising and networking efforts, the event at Porsche Centre Hull was held for the second consecutive year.

Last year’s event raised thousands of pounds towards offsetting the costs of each team and their potential participation at every level of the competition and the latest teams will continue collecting sponsorship throughout the season.

Dr Bruce Charlesworth, Chief Medical Officer at Reckitt, one of Ron Dearing UTC’s Founding Partners, said: “I’m always impressed with the students’ presentation skills, especially for their age.

“They’ve clearly got some real competitiveness going on, which is nice to see, and it’s great to watch them pitching.”

A raffle was also held on the night to raise money towards sponsorship for the two new teams, with the top prize of a Silverstone driving experience.

Year 11 student Zach Craig, 15, is the manager of Vortex Racing and said the F1 in Schools journey has been positive.

He said: “It’s been great and given me lots of experience in looking after a team, organising, engineering, project management, confidence and public speaking.”

Visit https://www.f1inschools.co.uk/ for more information about F1 in Schools.

Anyone who would like to sponsor a team can email gjensen@rondearingutc.com for further details.

Ron Dearing UTC has launched an exciting new programme with its employer partners to provide hands-on industry experiences and visits for sixth form students as they consider their next steps.

Twelve of the school’s employer partners attended the UTC’s third Employer Breakfast Meeting to hear more about how they can offer Industry Experience Placements (formerly known as work experience placements) to Year 12 students and Industry Insights Visits to Year 12 and Year 13 students.

Employer partners can advertise Industry Experience Placements to Year 12 students from early May.  Students will then complete application forms, interviews will go ahead and offers will be made, enabling them to experience the full application process before starting their placements during the summer holidays.

In addition, two-hour Industry Insights Visits are being organised for groups of Year 12 or Year 13 students during term time, giving them an in-person insight into a company’s brand, values, career opportunities and the technology used in the sector.

Two former Ron Dearing UTC students, Trainee Computer-aided Design (CAD) Technician Oliver Wilkinson and Engineering Apprentice Liam Bowering, are now employed by Spencer Group, one of the UTC’s Founding Partners.

 

They told the Employer Breakfast meeting attendees about the benefits they gained from work experience, which led to them being employed by Spencer Group, as well as how they are now mentoring the most recent Spencer apprentices from Ron Dearing UTC.

Yvonne Moir, Spencer Group’s HR Director, encouraged other employer partners to embrace the opportunity of meeting and working with Ron Dearing students to bolster their future talent pipeline.

Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal – Employer Engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “We have extremely gifted young people at Ron Dearing UTC and we want to give them the best possible careers advice and guidance and opportunities, experiencing industry and the workplace to help them choose the right path for them.

“Some Industry Insights Visits have already taken place and we’re encouraging all of our fantastic employer partners to get involved, giving masterclass talks and tours to open our students’ eyes to their industries.

“What we do alongside our employers partners in the classroom is already excellent. But the more opportunities we can give our students, the more they will secure the jobs they aspire to in these sectors and help make a difference.”

Simon Connell, CEO of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, and Kate Ambrosi, Director of Innovation and Learning at the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, also attended the breakfast meeting before a tour of the UTC’s facilities with Principal Sarah Pashley.

 

The school is currently undergoing expansion to increase its capacity from 600 to 800 students following growing demand. Work to remodel the existing school building is now complete and work is underway to transform the former Central Fire Station next door to the school into a satellite school, which is due to open in June.

Simon said: “Ron Dearing UTC has been a success story from day one and it’s really uplifting to be here.

“Employers at the breakfast meeting know what’s being asked of them and what Ron Dearing UTC will do to support that process. It’s fantastic, very prescriptive and authentic and it’s what UTCs were set up for.

“When you’re full and really successful, you want to grow your impact and I’m thrilled Ron Dearing UTC is making more space for young people.”

Sarah said: “Simon was instrumental in helping us to put the bid together for the grant application to increase our student numbers and transform the former fire station into a state-of-the-art creative facility, housing STEAM Studios.

“We’re very grateful to him for his time and expertise. The tour was a great opportunity to show Simon and Kate how the expansion is progressing on the countdown to completion in June.”

Four more leading organisations have joined forces with Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) to open up further exciting career opportunities for students.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, Porsche Centre Hull, The 55 Group and Wood are the latest Major Partners of the school in Kingston Square, Hull city centre.

They will join more than 40 other top businesses which help develop and deliver employer-led projects, offer work experience, paid employment and apprenticeship opportunities and lead the UTC’s careers, advice and guidance programme in Founding Partner, Major Partner and Partner roles.

Major Partners also play a key role in helping to develop the Ofsted “Outstanding”-rated school’s unique employer-engaged curriculum.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has close to 1,000 staff across the region, including in areas such as ICT and data handling and intelligence.

 

Work is underway to transform the former Central Fire Station next door to Ron Dearing into a satellite school, which is due to open in June 2023.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Matt Sutcliffe said: “This exciting new partnership with Ron Dearing UTC provides an opportunity for us to bring some really bright and capable young people into our organisation.

“We already have an affiliation with the school because of its move into the old fire station and we’ve now strengthened that bond.

“We’re planning to bring in a number of apprentices from Ron Dearing and we’ll also be asking students to carry out some project work with us.”

Porsche Centre Hull is based at Bridgehead business park in Hessle and its state-of-the-art showroom is home to a range of Porsche models.

Members of the business’s 34-strong team worked with Ron Dearing UTC students taking part in F1 in Schools, the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition.

Students enjoyed a tour of the company’s showroom last year and held an F1 in Schools fundraising event, pitching their plans and ambitions to potential sponsors, ahead of a further event in February.

Sarah Hiles, Showroom and Events Manager at Porsche Centre Hull, said becoming a Ron Dearing UTC Major Partner kickstarts Porsche’s 75^th anniversary year, as well as the 60^th anniversary of the Porsche 911 model.

She said: “We’re really excited to become a Major Partner. We were so impressed with the students, their presentations and their impeccable behaviour and I was blown away by their confidence and capabilities, which is testament to the school.

 

“Porsche is all about supporting aspirational young people. We want to take on as many students for work experience in the workshop as possible and we want them to experience all departments to give them a good overview of working life.

“We’re also planning an employer-led project to celebrate Porsche’s 75^th anniversary, perhaps designing a new interior for one of our models.”

The 55 Group uses a range of dedicated software and web-based applications to enable its customers to evaluate, procure, manage and learn within the construction industry.

The 90-strong team, based in Whitefriargate, Hull, also helps to educate those working in the industry to upskill workers and promote career progression.

John Martin, Chief Technology Officer at The 55 Group, said: “We’re excited to become a Major Partner. We’ve already offered work experience to four Ron Dearing UTC students and one is now working 14 hours per week for us as a Junior Software developer alongside his sixth form studies.

“The industry often loses people to other geographic areas and we’re passionate about keeping the next generation of talent local. We’re also looking forward to getting involved in tech-based employer-led projects involving Ron Dearing students and attending careers expos at the UTC.”

Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering, helping to unlock solutions to critical challenges in energy and materials markets. It provides consulting, projects and operations solutions in 60 countries, employing abound 36,000 people.

Andy Long, Senior Manager at Wood, which has its Hull office in Craven Street South, east Hull, said: “We’re delighted to have become a Major Partner of Ron Dearing UTC to bring the region’s top talent into our digital engineering talent programme. We look forward to guiding them in various engineering disciplines, potentially up to degree level.

“Ron Dearing UTC’s values fit very well with ours. We need people who live and breathe 3D modelling, maths, data and science and supporting young people in the communities we work in is front and centre of Wood’s core values.”

 

Ron Dearing UTC caters for students aged between 14 and 19, offering a specialist focus on digital technology, creative digital, art and design and digital engineering. It is currently undergoing expansion to increase its capacity from 600 to 800 students following growing demand.

Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal – Employer Engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “We’re delighted to welcome four new Major Partners and we’re excited about the opportunities this will open up for our students.

“Our employer partners are a huge part of how we operate at Ron Dearing UTC and they bring an incredible wealth of experience, knowledge and skill to our curriculum, helping to guide and support our students as they prepare for their next steps.”

Ron Dearing UTC students are helping to create a dedicated mobile app to collate experiences and additional qualifications achieved during their time at the school.

Created by smart tech company Sauce, one of Ron Dearing UTC’s Major Partners, the app is currently in the design stage and will capture the broad range of experiences students are involved in.

Everything from mock interviews, cultural and enrichment activities and employer-led projects to CV writing workshops, personal branding sessions, professional qualifications and more will be included and logged on the app, collating the achievements of each student in one place.

The aim is to ensure every student has an accurate record of their experiences, which they can include in job, apprenticeship or university applications, showcasing the wide range of activities and qualifications they have completed.

As the design progresses, the app will be tested by existing students and launched in time for the September 2023 student intake.

 

About 20 students from all year groups are attending regular sessions at Sauce’s offices in Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) tech hub in the city’s Fruit Market, with groups including product owners, marketeers and designers, beta testers and user experience (UX) designers who will look at how the app functions.

Former Ron Dearing UTC students who have been employed as trainee developers by Sauce will also work on the app as the design progresses.

Lisa Regan, Assistant Principal – Professional Qualifications at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “The Ron Dearing UTC app is an excellent way to collate all of the experiences the students have achieved and will enable them to look back on it when they’re applying for their next move.

“We offer a very broad range of opportunities for our students to add to their employability skills and the app will help them to keep track of any gaps they may need to address.

“The students involved in creating the app all applied to play their part and they’re studying a range of subjects, not just digital.

“They’re gaining agile skills and learning from the fantastic Sauce team in a real working environment while creating something that will hopefully benefit students for many years to come.

“It’s brilliant to know our former students, who are employed by Sauce, will inspire our current students and we can’t thank Sauce enough for all the support they’re providing. This is a shining example of a fantastic employer-led project, drawing on our students’ digital, technology and creative skills.”

Sauce is an award-winning business specialising in working with large, traditional companies as their digital partners, creating innovative solutions to key business challenges across multiple sectors to keep them ahead of the technology curve.

 

Jim Wardlaw, Chief of Product and Design at Sauce, said: “The students are driving the solution and we’re giving them the opportunity to be a client in an agile development process.

“The students are behind the vision for the app and what goals they want it to achieve as product owners.

“Ron Dearing UTC students partake in lots of experiences and they have to convert that into a CV to impress potential employers or universities. It’s not easy to remember everything they’ve done, so the app will help to bring it all together in one place.

“We’re really impressed with how last year’s graduates have progressed with Sauce so far and this is a good chance for us to get to know some of the students who’ll graduate next year, as we’re looking to employ more trainees.”

The app could also act as a points tracker for sixth form students which can be redeemed against incentives such as driving lessons.

Year 13 student Ben Garner, 17, who is studying Computer Science at Ron Dearing UTC’s sixth form, is part of the team working on the app.

He said: “Planning an app while working with a Major Partner is encouraging me to look at app design as a potential career and I’d love to work at Sauce. It’s great to work with the team in their office and see former Ron Dearing UTC students working there.”

Fellow Year 13 Computer Science student George Braithwaite, 17, who is also part of the app team, said: “We’ve planned what we want the app to achieve using wireframes and created designs for how it will look.

“I like the fact we’re creating the base of the app and it can be worked on for years to come and we’re getting a good understanding of agile working. It’s giving us hands-on experience in an industry environment.”