A while ago I wrote a letter to this paper describing my unease at the way the UTC was promoting its curriculum and qualifications, as I thought they were not being clear about what qualifications were on offer and where they were likely to lead.

However, on their new website I see this has now been addressed and the information is now very clear and will help parents and students to decide if it the right place for them.

Well done to them for that.

In many ways I am unhappy about the amount of money that has been ploughed into this place (as I’ve always thought the same job could have been done at an existing provider for a lot less money), and I am saddened to see the UTC is not attracting the numbers it needs presently to be viable in the long term.

I have never been one to look to the past for solutions to the present but I can’t help thinking that what the UTC is trying to do is what the old OND engineering qualification that was run at Swindon College did many years ago.

This was a qualification where students worked full days every day with only Wednesday afternoon off for sports and they sat challenging exams.

I do think the removal of exams from vocational courses have made these qualifications lose credibility.

ANDREW WILKINS Collett Avenue, Swindon