Eleven students studying Computer Science at the Watford UTC, have completed the Toshiba Self Maintainer Programme, which allows them to undertake their own laptop and tablet repairs. The certified training programme, run by a Toshiba UK, means students can now diagnose their own faults, select the spare parts required, and carry out warranty repairs in-house.

Toshiba UK is one of the Watford UTC’s employer partners, working regularly with students on projects. Richard Davidson, Technical Training Specialist, from Toshiba UK said: "In dynamic school environments where the use of devices is constant and varied, incidents will sometimes occur.

"It’s then a priority to minimise the impact of lack of access to teachers and students. For this reason, Toshiba promotes a Self-Maintainer Programme, which enables any school to have the technical capability to manage and service devices quickly and efficiently."

In addition to enhancing the Watford UTC’s broader IT management capabilities, taking part in the scheme also offers wider benefits to the students themselves - including inventory management experience, added technology expertise and a variety of additional transferrable skills. Emma Loveland, Principal of the Watford UTC, said: "This is an excellent practical hands-on experience for our IT students, helping them to build valuable skills for the future."

The accreditation lasts for one year and can be updated with a refresher course.