How to make project-based learning work

The need for positive and high-impact relationships between education and industry has never been greater. As we develop further through the digital revolution, education must prepare young people for jobs that don’t yet exist, while simultaneously helping them to develop key personal characteristics, including flexibility, empathy, creativity and enterprise.University technical colleges (UTCs) are uniquely placed to build and nurture relationships with employers of all sizes, to ensure that the education that our young people need is preparing them for the world of work.There has never been a blueprint for employer engagement or project-based learning in schools, but UTCs have been developing and experimenting with ways in which this can work alongside the need to support students through technical qualifications, GCSEs and A levels. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report, Evaluation of University Technical Colleges, published today clearly demonstrates the profound impact effective employer engagement and project-based learning has on UTC students, and both need to be given the right resources to develop within an educational institution.