A new college will open in Southampton as part of plans to improve school standards.

The government has today announced that a University Technical College (UTC) will open in the city.

This is one of 15 new free schools to open opened in parts of the country where education outcomes are weakest, providing more opportunities for young people.

The UTC in Southampton will create 600 spaces for 14- to 19-year-olds, offering a mix of A-Levels and T Levels.

Run by the UTC Portsmouth, it will deliver a ‘broad and ambitious’ academic curriculum to create highly skilled students who are ready for both university and the workplace.

James Doherty, Principal of UTC Portsmouth said: "It is a real privilege to have been selected from the shortlisted bids to be part of this new wave of schools.

“It was clear from the level of support from local employers and from existing demand for UTC Portsmouth that there is a clear demand for high end technical education.

"At UTC Portsmouth we offer something really different for students who love STEM and want to work hard to achieve their ambitions of working in this field.

“It is fantastic to be able to take what is so successful and offer that to more young people in the Southampton area.

“UTC Southampton will allow more young people than ever to engage with a specialist STEM environment and will bolster the number of individuals trained for high end technical jobs in the region."

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Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, campaigned for the introduction of a UTC in the city. 

He said campaigning for the college in Southampton has been his 'labour of love'. 

Speaking to education secretary Gillian Keegan last month, he said: "The secretary of state will know that levelling up is not about geography but it is about opportunity, and what better opportunity can we give the children of the future, than a first class education?"

Free schools are funded by the Government but are not run by the local authority.

Instead, they are run by other organisations - most commonly academy trusts - but also businesses and universities.

The free schools programme provides parents with more choice of good schools, helping to level up opportunity across the country.

It enables strong trusts to open high-quality schools in new areas and attract fresh expertise to areas across the country that need it most.

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Gillian Keegan, education secretary, said: “We want to make more good school places available to families, and these 15 new free schools will bring brand new opportunities to young people.

“Free schools bring high standards, more choice for parents and strong links to industry – and all in the areas where those opportunities are needed most. 

“These new schools build on this Government’s work to drive up school standards since 2010, with 88 per cent of schools now rated good or outstanding – up from 68 per cent - and high performing academies and free schools in all parts of the country.”