UTC Heathrow announces educational partnership with Vertiv

UTC Heathrow is delighted to announce a partnership with global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions provider, Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), which will see its people working alongside the UTC to deliver a co-teach programme of learning based on the data centre sector.

Developed in collaboration with leading data centre industry organisations, the Digital Futures Programme is a first for any UK school. The programme, which contributes to a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma / Extended Diplomas in Engineering (NQF), allows students to gain the essential knowledge and skills needed to thrive in technical careers within the data centre sector.  

This sector is currently experiencing booming growth, but is facing an ongoing skills shortage. The Digital Futures Programme, now in its second year, is helping to future-proof the industry by inspiring a new generation to join it and enjoy a rewarding career - our first set of students took up apprenticeship roles within the sector this year!

In addition, UTC Heathrow and Partners are delighted that, for the second year running, they have won the Education and Employment Project Award at the prestigious Datacloud Global Awards in Monaco. This comes on the back of the Best Talent Developer award given to the programme at Data Centre World in March.

Vertiv Vice President of Services EMEA, Michael O’Keeffe, commented: “Without a doubt, the skills gap is still as wide as ever. For us at Vertiv, and others in the industry, technical knowledge is a competitive advantage. Technically skilled professionals with a good understanding of data centre technology are critical, but also hard to find.  Young people, especially women and those with diverse backgrounds are under-represented in this field. By joining UTC Heathrow on this important programme, we are working to develop the skills needed to join the industry.”

Candace Rose Kumi, Employer Engagement Lead at UTC Heathrow, said: “We have been delighted with how the Digital Futures Programme is evolving. Having a global critical digital infrastructure provider join the team of leading industry organisations adds a new dimension. With its global presence and track record of innovative products and services, Vertiv brings a great deal of strength and depth to what we can offer students. We are very excited at the prospect of how Vertiv’s involvement will develop the programme even further.”

Several Vertiv engineers with training backgrounds and extensive industry experience will be teaching students useful skills in electrical and mechanical engineering, IT, networking and problem resolution. 

• UTC Heathrow is a specialist science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) school which teaches students aged 14 to 19. Its Digital Futures Programme has already received international recognition, having won the ‘Education and Employment Project Award 2022’ at a prestigious data centre event in Monaco last year. 

• To find out more about the Digital Futures Programme please visit heathrow-utc.org/employers/digital-futures-programme

About UTC Heathrow

UTC Heathrow is an innovative, employer-focused, high-tech school for students aged 14-19, specialising in engineering and IT. UTC Heathrow is different from an existing traditional school – delivering first-class education in an environment that feels like the workplace, achieved by delivering the curriculum through employer-led projects which tackle real industry issues.

Responding to growing demands from industry for well-educated, high-calibre, professional engineers and technicians, the UTC combines hands-on and minds-on approaches to learning, integrating national curriculum requirements with technical and practical elements. UTC Heathrow is an academy of Activate Learning Education Trust, a company limited by guarantee.

About Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET)   

Activate Learning Education Trust is a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) established by Activate Learning. 

We deliver excellence in education and transform lives through learning by providing exciting and innovative education for young people.

Activate Learning is the sponsor for Activate Learning Education Trust, which is run with the support of a number of industry and academic partners.

ALET SCHOOLS: Theale Green School | The Bicester School | UTC Oxfordshire | UTC Reading | UTC Swindon | UTC Heathrow http://www.alet.org.uk/

For more information please contact Cheryl Chapman, Communications and PR Officer - Schools at ALET (Cheryl.Chapman@alet.org.uk)

About UTCs

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are schools for 14–19-year-olds that deliver technical education as well as core curriculum subjects, in partnership with local employers and universities.

UTCs are established by employers seeking to fill skills gaps in their local areas. They are publicly funded academies with an average age range of 14-19, a longer school day to cover Science, Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) related GCSEs as well as technical qualifications. UTCs teach one or more technical specialisms that meet the skills shortages in the region. These include: engineering; manufacturing; computer science; health sciences; digital technologies; and cybersecurity.

UTCs provide a high-quality education, focussing on closing the skills gap and providing a credible technical pathway for students to a valuable technical career.

About Vertiv

Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers’ vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today’s data centres, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA, Vertiv does business in more than 130 countries. For more information, and for the latest news and content from Vertiv, visit Vertiv.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27 of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. These statements are only a prediction. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements set forth herein. Readers are referred to Vertiv’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a discussion of these and other important risk factors concerning Vertiv and its operations. Vertiv is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.