UTC Swindon, the town’s University Technical College, has opened its state-of-the-art lecture theatre and is making it available for businesses and organisations to hire.
With capacity for 156 people and a retractable seating system, the theatre is one of the town’s largest.
It has been financed by Swindon-based integrated circuit firm Dialog Semiconductor, which last year donated £80,000 to the UTC, split between investment in specialist equipment for the UTC and funding to support its first academic year.
Dialog, which has an engineering support office on the town’s Delta office park, is one of 90 firms supporting the UTC, based in part of Swindon’s former Great Western Railworks in Bristol Street.
The theatre, which also features a fully integrated PA system, is available to hire for £60 an hour. Food and refreshments can also be arranged through BAM Catering at additional cost.
Regular users of the theatre include IET (The Institute of Engineering and Technology), which aims to inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community. IET is also a partner of UTC Swindon.
UTC Swindon principal Angela Barker-Dench said: “We’re so grateful to Dialog Semiconductor for making this possible. We now have the largest and best quality lecture theatre in the area. As well as benefiting our students, this facility will become even more popular among organisations needing a venue for lectures, seminars and talks.”
UTC Swindon caters for 600 students aged 14 to 19, providing courses for young people who aspire to a career in engineering, computing and business. Students at the college gain skills demanded in all sectors of the engineering and computing industries.
It is run by a trust sponsored by Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells and Oxford Brookes University.
Pictured: UTC Swindon principal Angela Barker-Dench in the new theatre
