Cumbria's Energy Coast University Technical College has been hailed as one of the most successful in the UK during a debate in the House of Lords.

Lord Baker singled out the college, which specialises in engineering and construction, during a debate on The English Baccalaureate school performance measure last week.

Stressing the importance of vocationally focused education and training, the former cabinet minister and co-founder of the UK’s University Technical Colleges programme, praised the Energy Coast UTC for its high pass rate in engineering and the high number of apprentices placed.

Lord Baker said: “In July this year, it placed 59 apprentices, 30 of whom were 16 years old. No other school in the country will place anywhere near even 10 apprentices, let alone 59. If those young people had gone to normal schools in Cumbria, they would not be apprentices at 16.

“Employers want them because they have handled metal, they have designed things, they have solved problems, and they have experience of all those things which no longer happen in normal schools.”

Highlighting the fact that the Lillyhall-based college was the most remote in the UK and more than 100 miles from the next UTC, he added: “This particular UTC also achieves a 96 per cent pass rate in engineering and 80 per cent in English and maths.

“Some sixth-formers took the triple A in engineering and they all got A*s. This simply would not have happened if they had been studying for the EBacc."

Energy Coast UTC opened in September 2014 and focuses on equipping 14 to 19 year olds with the skills they need to secure roles related to the local economy. It is sponsored by is Gen2, Lakes College and the University of Cumbria.

Cherry Tingle, Principal of the Energy Coast UTC, said: “We are delighted to hear that our recent fantastic academic results and high quality destinations are exceeding national benchmarks.

“Everyone at Energy Coast UTC, including our teachers, parents, students and industry partners work really hard to ensure that our students maximise their academic potential and progress onto quality engineering destinations.”