Willmott Dixon has secured a £6.8 million contract to build a home for The Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy (BTE Academy), the first University Technical College (UTC) in the South West.

The BTE Academy will specialise in Engineering and Environmental Technology and provide facilities for 440 students from Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North East Somerset.

University Technical Colleges are a recent concept in education, offering 14-19 year-olds the opportunity to take full-time technically-oriented courses of study alongside national curriculum requirements, business skills and ICT.

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They are sponsored by a university and supported by local and national employers, with the BTE Academy supported by both City of Bristol College and the University of the West of England. It has employer links with Rolls Royce, Airbus and GKN.

Willmott Dixon's role will involve the demolition of the old Filton High School in Stoke Gifford, Bristol, and constructing the new UTC. The building will house large workshop areas needed for increased levels of vocational project work as well as smaller classrooms, laboratory areas and indoor sports facilities. Externally, there will be a multi-use sports area and parkland where ecological studies can be undertaken.

Willmott Dixon will also install 200 square meters of photovoltaic panelling to boost the energy efficiency of the building.

(CD)