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Technical pathways are the new priority for education, according to prime minister Andy Burnham’s announcement this week - but the blueprint for success may already exist within the school system.

University technical colleges (UTCs) have been in operation for more than 15 years, so the launch of technical education pathways for 14-year-olds could build on knowledge and expertise already in UTCs.

����Vlog looks at how UTCs could inspire the new government’s headline education policy - and the insight they give into the hurdles that block the way to success for the new technical routes.

What are UTCs?

UTCs are a type of free school, meaning they do not have to teach the national curriculum and can set their own pay and conditions for staff.

While UTCs still teach an academic curriculum like other state-funded schools, they are set apart by their offer of technical qualifications. Most UTCs have two specialisms, such as engineering and digital, or health and creative media.

The first UTC opened in 2010, with the aim of employers and universities working together to provide a high-quality technical education.

The movement was pioneered by Conservative peer and former education secretary Lord Baker, who co-founded the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which has established 44 UTCs since it was created in 2009.

UTCs appeared in the 2015 Conservative election manifesto, which preceded David Cameron being elected again: the party promised a UTC “within reach of every city”.

What evidence supports UTCs?

Research by the found that 16-year-olds who enrol at a UTC outperform their peers in skills and technical education.

But overall those who enrol at 14, the entrance age for most technical colleges, get significantly worse GCSE results than their peers - although a spokesperson from Baker Dearing called this finding “seriously flawed”, arguing that the research baselined students at 11, before they started at a UTC, rather than from their point of enrolment at 14.

More from Policy Exchange suggests UTCs have made significant progress in recent years.

UTCs have higher proportions of students eligible for free school meals and with special educational needs and disabilities. However, compared with the average school leaver, fewer of their students go on to be not in education, employment or training (Neet).

The number of students at UTCs has more than doubled since 2018 to more than 21,000, with 82 per cent of UTCs rated “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted in 2024.

Six UTCs have been inspected under Ofsted’s new report card framework, with all of them judged “expected standard” or above across all evaluation grades, including a number of “exceptional” grades.

What issues have UTCs encountered in the past?

Capacity issues have previously blighted UTCs, with a 2019 National Audit Office investigation finding that the schools were less than half full and were underperforming compared with other secondaries.

UTCs recruit students at 14, meaning they have no say over the admissions code. This could pose a risk that they take on students that others do not want, former Baker Dearing chief Simon Connell told ����Vlog in 2020.

How could UTCs inspire the new technical education pathways?

In 2024, Mr Connell also suggested an idea with notable similarities to the policy proposed by the prime minister: a UTC “sleeve”.

The idea was for a UTC to be created within a secondary school, offering vocational courses such as a standard UTC but run alongside academic options, too.

Baker Dearing has piloted this model, and said that it is cheaper and more familiar for students already in the school.

What could Burnham learn from UTCs?

There may be a few lessons from the UTC movement that the Burnham government could take note of as it designs the technical pathways.

Marc Doyle, CEO of QUEST Trust, which runs a UTC in Bolton, suggested that reform of the accountability system should be on the cards.

He told ����Vlog: “Progress 8 [a school performance measure] was never designed with specialist technical providers in mind. If we continue to judge technical education through an academic lens alone, we risk undervaluing some of its greatest strengths.”

It has been confirmed that Ofsted will change the way it inspects schools and measures performance to recognise settings offering the new technical routes. However, whether this will include P8 reform is still unclear.

Fears over funding

Mr Doyle also issued a warning about funding: “Engineering, digital and advanced manufacturing cannot be taught effectively on the same funding model as a standard classroom subject.”

He made this comment amid concerns that there may be no additional funding provided for the technical education routes announced this week.

“Specialist workshops, industry-standard equipment and smaller teaching groups are not optional extras - they are fundamental to delivering the quality that employers expect,” Mr Doyle added.

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