

Inspiring futures – Acer and Microsoft at SGS Berkeley Green University Technical College (UTC)
For an institution that aims to arm the next generation of technical experts with workplace ready skills in an ever-evolving field, the right tools are critical. When it came to selecting a personal laptop device for every student in the college, as the UTC’s technical partner, Gaia recommended the Microsoft-driven Acer B118 Spin. We investigate how this has proven the perfect fit for inspiring a new generation of technical whiz-kids…
A brave new learning environment…
The ethos behind Berkeley Green UTC recognises the national shortage of skilled engineers, computer scientists and cyber security specialists. It aims to fill the skills gap with a new generation of youngsters armed with a strong foundation of relevant knowledge and hands-on experience by the time they progress to work or University.
The college opened in September 2017, following over two years’ work to bring vision to reality on site of the former Berkeley Laboratories. One of sixty UCTs planned nationally, it provides specialist, high quality vocational and academic education for learners aged 14-18 with a strong interest in Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Technologies and Cyber Security.
With some £2million investment in infrastructure and equipment scheduled before the college launched, the support and advice of an educational ICT specialist was essential and, following a tender for an RM1050 ESFA contract in May 2016, Gaia Technologies was appointed ICT partner in June the same year. Having already worked with a number of UTC’s across the country to ensure their technological infrastructure is capable of meeting educational ambitions, Gaia impressed with its mix of experience, technical support and flexible approach.
Gaia has since worked alongside Berkeley UTC at every stage of the project; providing strategic leadership support; advice on the curriculum and new technology as well as specifying everything from the ICT infrastructure through to individual devices and software packages that have the greatest educational impact.

The result is a £15 million institution with a host of state-of-the-art facilities - including an Innovation Hub and a SOCA centre with two Cyber Security Labs - that will enable students to hone skills in key areas. The college has also formed partnerships with leading industry players to offer students the chance to work on real-life projects and to forge links for future employment.
A robust infrastructure
Microsoft applications – both back end and user-facing – feature heavily in Gaia’s specification for the college’s ICT infrastructure. At the top level, Microsoft System Centre 2012 delivers a single management tool for the entire estate with backup and recovery provided via Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2012R2 Backup.
To provide a single, integrated platform for managing policies, software deployment, data-loss prevention and internet security Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 End Point Protection was suggested as a free alternative to the college’s preferred system. Its scalability to protect thousands of endpoints - including servers, PCs, laptops, mobile devices, Macs and virtual technologies - was key in its selection. A multi-layer approach for data and system backups and archiving was advised and implemented utilising Hyper-V replication based on Windows Data Centre 2012r2, Veeam Backup and Replication v9 Availability Suite, Microsoft Data Protection Manager (DPM 2012r2); Windows Storage Server with 48TB fault tolerant backup and archiving space scalable to 80TB and Microsoft Azure Cloud Storage (2TB) for Off-Site Automated Backup and Archiving.
For domain services, Microsoft’s flagship enterprise product - Microsoft System Center 2012R2 Configuration Manager was used; providing key management capabilities around server and device build, network management, application deployment, desktop virtualization, (mobile) device management, drive mapping, printer allocation, user management (password reset, user permissions, internet access), security groups and authentication. To support the school’s accommodation of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BOYD) and help the school (and the Trust) securely manage the potentially large number of devices that may be brought to the school, Gaia provided the mobile device management (MDM) solution Microsoft Intune.
At user-level, inline with existing Trust strategy, Microsoft Office 365 was recommended to provide an integrated range of communication and collaboration tools that support working on and off site. To provide cost-effective access to Microsoft software for staff and students under a single subscription, the college was advised to procure a Microsoft EES license. This enables access to the Office 2016 suite and Office 365, allowing Microsoft Office 365 and OneNote to be used as the key productivity applications as well as offering access to Microsoft Office Professional 2013; covering the full desktop suite of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Lync, OneNote and Access.

Personal devices fit for the task
Part of the bid document set out the need for every student to have a personal mobile device in order to navigate the technology-focussed curriculum. Having a 1:1 student to device ratio would also aid teaching staff to effectively plan their use in the classroom. Ahead of the UTC’s launch in September 2017, with its initial intake of 150 students aged 14 the school acquired 100 Acer Spin B118 Windows laptops – some of which were allocated on a means-tested basis via Pupil Premium; with parental contribution required for others.
The Acer Spin B118 laptop was recommended by Gaia as a lightweight, hybrid, easy-to-use device for all age groups. versatile, rugged and powerful enough to run standard productivity and web-based curriculum software as a minimum, its ability to allow students to easily switch between 4 very useful modes: standard notebook, tablet only, and for media consumption tent or display mode – was also very attractive. As a fully authorised repair centre for Acer products and with direct access to Acer UK for support and training, Gaia ordered the relevant specification of devices on the school’s behalf and also arranged 5-year warranties.
Since allocating the devices to students in September 2017, the UTC has been reaping the benefits - with students’ digital literacy in the use of mobile technology for the working environment much enhanced. The devices have also enabled the UTC to utilise collaboration and communications technologies used in industry, such as Microsoft Teams. This has seen students impress with their business-like nature and ability to provide and accept critique in a public forum. For example, a recent project day required students to work in small teams to plan a mobile app for the National Biodiversity Network. The devices were extensively used in the interface design, collaboration and presentation of their work to the NBN’s director.
The devices have also been crucial in the UTC making effective use of Microsoft OneNote Class Notebooks, enabling teachers to create content and distribute it to students (individual or groups) to their section and allowing them to see, in real time, where students are; thus facilitating a strong feedback loop. A wireless network adapter has provided strong performance, particularly given the number of devices in use at any one point, and has ensured students are always ready and able to learn.
Looking to the future, more project days are planned where the devices play a central role. The UTC is also keen to explore the use of team videoconferencing to support employer engagement - employers provide a pivotal role in supporting students’ education, but it is not always easy for them to travel site. Connection via videoconference allowing them to remotely advise and mentor students work in progress but something the UTC team hope to have in place very soon.
Rich Williams, Director of Faculty (Computing and Digital Technology) at Berkeley UTC, says:
“The devices have been allocated to individual students to support their learning on or off site. This has worked well, and it’s brilliant to receive emails after school hours because students are enjoying learning with the devices.
“In terms of performance, the Acer Spin B118 has proven to be truly robust. I was particularly impressed with the spill tray located beneath the keyboard to reduce the impact of any liquid damage. We work in schools, and accidents do happen! The other benefit of the device is that by design it can operate as a laptop or as a tablet with a touch screen or stylus. Despite being a technologically advanced school, some students still prefer to write at times and the device enables this.
“Overall, the impact of the devices has been wholly positive! Students digital literacy, whilst good at the outset, has improved immeasurably and they are now very confident in their use of the device for a variety of purposes.”