“UTC Oxfordshire runs on a culture of trust, which gave me and my friends the freedom to experiment and grow our own minds the way that we wanted over a set curriculum. I would recommend it to anyone – I really don’t know where I’d be without it.”

Charlie Shaw, a student from UTC Oxfordshire, has achieved his long-held ambition of securing a place at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. Inspired by a school assembly in Year 10, Charlie will now begin a four-year MEng apprenticeship in Engineering, combining academic study with hands-on experience on live projects at Dyson. He looks forward to specialising in his chosen field after two years of rotations and even has the chance to work in Singapore during his third year. Charlie credits UTC for preparing him well for the challenging application process and says its culture of trust and professionalism helped him thrive. His message to others: believe in yourself, never give up, and see every setback as a learning opportunity.