The City Technology Colleges Trust was founded in 1987. The 15 City Technology Colleges were set up between 1989 and 1993, most of them in deprived inner city areas. The City Technology Trust is a registered charity which acts as a central body for the CTC programme. It works closely with the Department for Education, and is funded through a combination of private sector sponsorship and government grants. Its current annual income is approximately £3.5 million pounds.
During its early years the CTC Trust played a fundamental role in establishing the 15 City Technology Colleges. This included helping to raise £35 million pounds in sponsorship from industry and finding the sites. CTC's are innovative schools which have proved to be extremely popular, with three times as many applications as there are places. Between 1990 and 1993 the CTC Trust carried out a major curriculum project which produced guidance to underpin the CTC curriculum mission. The main thrust of this development covered:
Information Technology Design and Technology Science Business Education Modern Languages for business Post-16 provision
The CTC Trust works in partnership with schools throughout the country and with national education and business organisations. It also has significant international links, including European Community partners.
Its work includes:
- Promoting and supporting CTC-style education;
Developing curricular innovations;
- Producing information to promote good practice in CTC's, TC's, Sports and
- Performing Arts Colleges and affiliated schools;
- Arranging sponsorship and fund-raising for curriculum projects
The CTC Trust, through its publications and conferences helps to disseminate the good practice developed in CTC and affiliated schools.
All City Technology Colleges, Specialist Schools and affiliated schools share a number of common features. Many other schools subscribe to a number of these features, but this network of schools is unusual in sharing all of them.
The CTC Trust publication "Essential Educational Characteristics" gives further details of this educational philosophy. The original 15 City Technology Colleges are independent schools which charge no fees, since their recurrent costs are paid by the Department for Education. Technology Colleges specialise in teaching science, maths and technology and demonstrate their commitment to close links with business and industry by the appointment of sponsor governors