Higher Education Strategy
Blackpool & the Fylde College
2008-2011
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BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE
HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY
INTRODUCTION
The HE Strategy of the College is a considered response to several key drivers and is informed
by the strategic objectives of key partners including Lancaster University; the Higher Education
Funding Council for England (HEFCE); North West Development Agency (NWDA); and the
Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Strategy is also informed by publications including the
Leitch Review; the LSC (2006) National Employer Skill Survey; LSC North West Skills priorities
2007 – 2010; the Higher Education Funding Council for England Strategic Plan 2006-11
(updated April 2007); the Higher Education Funding Council for England HE in FE Consultation
and Outcomes (2007) and the DIUS/DCSF review 'World Class Apprenticeships: Unlocking
Talent, Building Skills for All' (2008).
Blackpool and the Fylde College is currently the 5th largest Further Education provider of higher
education in England, receiving direct funding from the Higher Education Funding Council of
England (HEFCE) to support around 1570 full time equivalent (FTE) students.
In 2007/08 nearly 1400 full time students and over 500 part time students enrolled at the
College on a wide range of courses, including Higher National, Foundation Degree and Honours
Degree programmes. Particular academic strengths include a suite of degrees in creative
subjects – Photography, Graphic Design, and Illustration – which enjoy a national reputation for
excellence; a strong portfolio of Engineering programmes with particular specialism in
Automotive Engineering; and a growing selection of Humanities Degrees in, for example,
English Language & Literature, Criminology and History & Heritage.
The College firmly locates Higher Education at the core of its mission: “Leadership in Learning,
Excellence at Work”. It is inextricably linked and continuous with its other provision, namely
vocational Further Education; employer engagement; Train to Gain; and 6th Form Studies.
Consequently the College brands its provision as university level; vocational; and relevant to all
people in our local communities. Higher Education is central to the College’s ambition to act as
a catalyst for change in our local communities through enabling economic regeneration and
social inclusion.
The overall theme of the College’s HE provision is vocational relevance; courses are designed
to provide students with knowledge and skills directly applicable to particular professional
occupations, and many have been developed in close consultation with employers and industry
representatives. Foundation Degree programmes are rapidly growing and are proving highly
successful in supporting professional workforce development.
The development of higher education at the College has its origins in a longstanding partnership
with the University of Lancaster, and the great majority of programmes are validated by
Lancaster, with only a small number validated by other universities, including the University of
Central Lancashire, Liverpool John Moores and the University of Huddersfield.
The college, in partnership with Lancaster University, and supported by a KPMG demand
assessment study, has identified that there is considerable unmet demand for higher education
in and around Blackpool, and a growing need for higher level skills to support economic
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development. As a result of a successful bid for HEFCE Strategic Development Funds (SDF)
and NWDA funding, work is now beginning to develop the Central Blackpool campus as a
predominantly higher education centre which will make a significant contribution to the
regeneration of Blackpool and the surrounding area. The capital project will be completed in
September 2009.
Widening participation in higher education is a primary objective for a College located in one of
the most deprived parts of England. Providing a skilled work-force with higher level skills is
critical to economic stability for the communities we serve and essential to ensure that we are
able to provide local industries with the supervisory, technical, managerial and professional level
staff they require to develop, maintain and grow their businesses within the reality of the global
business community.
The College endeavours, though all of its activities, to achieve learner centred practices that are
sensitive to diversity and inclusion.
KEY PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY
Two underlying principles will shape our strategy for the development of higher education at the
College:
1. Ensuring we identify and maximise the benefits of delivering higher education from
within a further education college.
2. At the same time, developing ways of managing higher education which recognise
the distinctiveness of the staffing, teaching and resourcing strategies needed to achieve
success.
These two principles are not important for arbitrary reasons; they are the practical expression of
our recognition of the particular needs of higher education students; they therefore link directly
to the College’s values, in particular our commitment to “placing the learner at the heart of all we
do”.
In relation to the first principle, the key benefits that stand out are in our view threefold. Firstly,
the presence of a large cohort of FE students provides us with plentiful opportunities to increase
our recruitment to HE programmes through the systematic encouragement of progression from
Level 3 to Level 4. Secondly, the strong tradition of student support within FE colleges at HE
level can increasingly be offered to students from non-traditional backgrounds, thus contributing
to widening participation and student success. Thirdly, our strong track record of employer
engagement both in the design and delivery of our FE provision, can be extended into the
development of our HE provision in exciting and innovative ways.
In relation to the second principle, we have begun work, using funding provided by HEFCE's
Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) to thoroughly explore the way in which our
pedagogy can be developed to embrace elements of scholarly activity. Work is underway in
parallel to review the extent to which our model for deploying teaching staff and educational
resources to support our HE provision can be better attuned to the particular challenges facing
lecturers who are delivering a highly vocational HE curriculum. Specifically we will be
investigating ways in which time can be provided for staff at different levels to pursue a range of
applied research activities.
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
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The College has over 75 Higher Education programmes in validation; has its own HEFCE
funded student numbers; validation agreements with 5 Universities for Foundation Degrees,
Honours and Ordinary Degrees; and one Masters Degree and 2 other post graduate awards.
The Universities are: Lancaster University, University of Central Lancashire; Liverpool John
Moores University; and the University of Huddersfield. The College Higher National Provision is
awarded by Edexcel.
The College participated in the Integrated Quality Enhancement Review Pilot (IQER) in 2007.
One clear outcome of participating in the pilot was a better understanding of the benefits and
the risks associated with multiple partnerships. Following from IQER, the College has decided to
withdraw from the relationship with the University of Huddersfield and will develop new
curriculum in the area of Business and Management that will be validated by Lancaster
University.
Following a review of academic strategy as part of the recent development with Lancaster
University of a successful bid for HEFCE Strategic Development Funds, we have identified the
following priorities:

To develop a high-profile HE Centre of Excellence in Gaming and Casino–related
studies, building on the ERDF funding already secured to launch Blackpool & the Fylde
College’s Regional Gaming Academy in 2006.

To greatly expand vocational Engineering provision, through the further development
and expansion of Nautical Engineering, Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering, Coin
Slot Technology and Gaming Technology Foundation Degrees, as progression routes to
University degrees.

To build on the national reputation for excellence in contemporary Art & Design enjoyed
by both the University and College through the introduction of new courses and services
geared specifically to the regional strategy for the development of Creative Industries.

To greatly expand the range of Foundation Degree programmes tailored to the needs of
local employers, especially in areas linked to the College’s strong Level 3 curriculum
areas, such as Sport and Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Hair & Beauty, Health, Care and
Early Years.

To expand the range of part time professional programmes available locally, to meet the
growing local and regional need for qualified managers, accountants, HR professionals,
marketing and legal specialists. This would include not only current courses – such as
CIPD, CIMA and EDMS – but the development of new ideas, such as Foundation
Degrees and the Professional Apprenticeship model.

To develop Year Zero provision to support student progression to degree programmes
and to widen participation.
This academic development strategy is closely aligned to the local agenda for economic
development in Blackpool and the Fylde coast and to the North West Regional Economic
Strategy's priorities in respect of creative industries, digital media, maritime and automotive
industries. It also builds on the college's existing strengths in further education provision,
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including our three Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVEs), which have been awarded in
Customer Service Quality for Resort Tourism, Building Services and Automotive Manufacturing
Engineering.
Our key strategic goals for academic development are:

With support funding from the North West Development Agency and the HEFCE SDF
bid, to concentrate the majority of our HE provision on the newly refurbished Central
Blackpool site, starting from September 2007. This will enable us to create a modern
learning environment especially suited to the needs of HE and professional adult
students. Our plans – outlined in greater detail in the business case presented to
HEFCE in support of our SDF bid – include refurbishment of existing teaching facilities,
the creation of a new Learning Hub at the centre of the campus which will accommodate
new library and ICT facilities, student welfare and guidance services, conference and
video-conference facilities, meeting rooms and social and refreshment facilities. The new
campus should be fully in operation by September 2009.

To grow our HEFCE funded provision over a ten year period to at least 2500 FTEs.

To review and where necessary extend our provision at Level 3 and Level 4 to maximise
progression from College FE to HE provision. While the current proportion of our own
students moving on to HE programmes is a highly creditable 33%, this figure ranges
considerably from one area to another. There is scope to increase internal progression
in a number of key areas and we will set targets for each College School.

To consolidate and extend our key academic partnership with the University of
Lancaster, which will continue to be our preferred partner for all future developments.
This will involve the further development of progression routes to the University for
appropriate students.

To continue to develop flexible, modularised provision, including short-cycle
programmes designed to support lifelong learning and higher level workforce skills
development.

To continue to develop strong employer engagement in HE course design and delivery
following our recent successes with major blue chip companies as well as local SMEs.

To continue the move towards an academic structure where each subject or
occupational area combines a Foundation Degree route with the option of a top-up year
to progress to a full Honours Degree. Only where there are exceptional circumstances
will we in future develop any further Higher National or full Honours Degree
programmes.

To continue to explore opportunities for any further development of Masters
programmes. However, these will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and
only when delivered in conjunction with the University of Lancaster, who would normally
be expected to be the lead partner in this type of provision.
We recognise that our success in academic development must be underpinned by a continued
commitment to maintaining rigorous and thorough academic quality assurance systems. As
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part of the IQER process we have produced a College HE Self Evaluation Document, which will
be updated annually and will establish further goals to ensure continuous improvement across
our HE provision.
The provision contained in the FE and Training Act 2007 that selected FE Colleges should have
the power to validate their own Foundation Degrees is a welcome recognition of the growing
contribution to higher education being made by FECs. This College will wish to take advantage
of this new power, although the implications for our longstanding and valued partnership
arrangements with Lancaster University will need to be carefully considered and discussed
before taking any action.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY
The College has developed a distinctive strategy for teaching and learning at higher education
level, which is set out in greater detail in the separate strategy document“, A Strategy for HE
Curriculum: Teaching, Learning and Assessment”. The key aim is to enable learners to become
self directed, autonomous and reflective in their learning. The design of our undergraduate
education will take full account of the need for students to take responsibility for their own
learning needs, and take the lead in their own personal development. This will increasingly be
articulated through the development of more flexible, modular HE programmes with multiple
entry and exit points.
The College is committed to supporting scholarly activity which is appropriately tailored to the
nature of HE provision within a further education setting. Our approach will be that scholarship
and research will be a clearly identified activity, with measurable targets and outputs which will
be agreed annually with academic managers. Staff will be expected to demonstrate that their
activities impact directly on the students, on the quality of the provision and on the level of
engagement with their subjects and their industry sectors which would be expected of tutors in
an HE School with a vocational emphasis. Scholarly and developmental activities will include:

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Developing employer engagement including consultancy
Organising symposia and conferences at the college
Practice-based research (developing a body of work in their own field)
Writing papers
Development of pedagogy
Ensuring HE teaching is at the forefront of current subject practice
The College will maintain its support for staff with a substantial HE teaching commitment to
achieve appropriate postgraduate qualifications. In addition to remission from teaching duties
which may be granted in support of scholarly activity, lecturers will continue to be entitled to time
off for study. Scholarship funding is necessary to maintain the skills; knowledge and
understanding of the dynamics in their fields of study; and the professional interests of our
teaching staff. Throughout the period of this plan, the College will use the funds available to
embed a scholarship culture and promote the dissemination of scholarly activity.
Debate and discussions with staff from the HE Academy have been very useful in enabling staff
to recognise skills needs. We participated in a skills writing workshop which was well received
and has acted as a stimulus for further activity. Continuing professional development of all staff
lies at the heart of much of the success of the College. There are very few College lecturers
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who do not teach across the spectrum of our provision. In the longer term we anticipate further
involvement and perhaps membership of the HE Academy.
The development of the HE campus at Central Blackpool is a catalyst for a renewed focus on
learning resources for higher education. The Deputy Head of Learning Resources and the
Learning Resource Centre Manager at the University Centre will have a specific remit to
develop our HE library facilities and extend our specialist HE library stock. Current inter-library
loan arrangements, including our agreement with the University of Lancaster will be reviewed
and enhanced where necessary. In addition the LRC team will provide leadership and
coordination for the further development of virtual learning environments and the creation of a
“digital learning community” which will enable continued innovation in the delivery of teaching
and learning.
The College recognises the importance of distributed learning and the strategic role of JISC in
supporting such developments to enhance the learners’ experience. The College hosted the
JISC Regional Support Centre prior to its transfer to Lancaster University. The Head of
Computer Network Services has served as deputy chair of two JISC committees: the Integrated
Information Environment Committee and the Distributed e-Learning Committee.
It is anticipated that our continued commitment to widening participation will bring with it an
increase in the need to develop specialist additional learning support for higher education
students. This will include enhanced study support, extension of tutorial activities, further
development of personal development portfolios and enhanced access to specialist support for
students with physical disabilities, hearing and visual impairment, dyslexia, mental health
problems and other learning support needs. Consideration will be given early in the life of this
plan to the introduction of specialist learning mentors for HE students.
Careers education, information and guidance forms a critical part of the College’s strategy as a
provider of learner focussed FE and HE. This strategy addresses economic development and
social inclusion by preparing learners for a successful transition to employment or further study
and for effective management of their career thereafter. In addition to the Careers education,
information and guidance delivered through Student Services, careers education and personal
development are key features of all HE programmes. Students are advised of the service at
induction and directed to the Student Handbook which provides information on the services
available to students while registered at the College and those that will continue to be available
to them when they have left.
The College practises an ethical service that is impartial, client-focused, confidential,
collaborative, accessible and in accordance with the institution's Equality Charter. It identifies
and provides for the individual needs of students who are likely to be disadvantaged in the
labour market. A diagnostic service is available early in the programme of study to identify
learning needs. This is recognised as critical to learner achievement. Students may self refer or
be referred by academic tutors.
PARTNERSHIP AND THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
Our HE strategy is based on a thorough analysis of our external environment, including a
thorough and rigorous demand assessment which was carried out by KPMG in the summer of
2004. Our analysis has established the extent to which our HE provision is currently meeting
local, regional and national demand, and the potential for further growth in each of these market
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segments. The College has engaged with Foundation Degree Forward to ensure exposure of
the curriculum to wider markets.
Within the area of the Fylde coast, which the College serves, there are significant pockets of
economic deprivation, particularly around the Blackpool area, where much of the College’s
current HE provision is located. The Fylde coast is geographically distinct, and travel to existing
regional HEIs to access opportunities represents a real disincentive to participation in HE for
many local residents, especially those on low incomes or with family commitments. The
parliamentary constituencies of Blackpool North and Fleetwood and Blackpool South have HE
participation rates of less than 21% and less than 27% respectively. Hence, the expansion of
HE at Blackpool will significantly contribute to widening participation locally, will be directly
supportive of the economic regeneration of the local area, and will offer local residents,
businesses and employers enhanced access to HE research, teaching and consultancy
services.
There is also a significant regional dimension to our provision, delivered primarily through an
extensive and well-developed network of employer links. In many areas HE development has
been the result of active dialogue between employers across the North West of England and in
some cases beyond. An outstanding example of this is the UK’s first Foundation Degree in
Project Control, designed and developed in conjunction with BAe Systems Ltd, with integrated
progression to a BSc and eventually to Masters level at Lancaster University. Another example
is the involvement of Lancashire and Merseyside automotive manufacturers in designing and
building an engine testing facility which will not only support the development of two Automotive
Engineering Foundation Degrees, but will be used by the industry to develop new engine
technology. A key element of our strategy for growth will be through this type of engagement
with local and regional employers.
Finally, we have developed a number of specialist programmes which serve a national niche
market and draw students from around the UK. These include a number of Art & Design
Honours Degrees and our Foundation Degree in Nautical Science. By their very nature as niche
subjects the growth potential in many of these areas is relatively limited, but our strategy
envisages steady expansion of this high quality provision through the careful development of
new programmes in areas closely linked to existing specialisms.
In summary, our analysis shows:

About 40% of our current HE student recruitment derives from the national market for
highly specialised, niche courses. We anticipate that this group will continue to grow
slowly, with a higher number of students applying from the local and regional population.
It will decline as a proportion of our overall HE provision to about 30% by 2014/15.

About 30% of our current recruitment comes through our employer engagement activity,
attracting ambitious working professionals, often supported by their employers, who are
seeking career progression through achieving HE qualifications. Many of these students
will have entered employment through vocational, rather than academic qualifications
and therefore form a significant element of our widening participation strategy. We
forecast that this group will grow steadily, rising to about 40% of our overall provision by
2014/15.

About 30% of our current students are mature adult returners, typically adults seeking a
career change or pursuing higher education for the first time in order to enhance their
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personal and career development options. In many cases they have previously been FE
students at the College. They are often very local students from non-traditional
backgrounds and represent a key element in our widening participation strategy. We
anticipate that this group will grow slightly, but will remain about 30% of our overall HE
provision by 2014/15.
We envisage the expansion of HE at Blackpool and the Fylde College as a significant
contribution to widening participation in the North West region. By virtue of the relative
geographical isolation of the Fylde coast, there are significantly fewer academic institutions
active in higher education in this area than in comparable areas. Successful development of a
major campus based in Blackpool would provide a West Lancashire focus for a coherent
regional HE development strategy based on the existing network of HE and FE partner
institutions. The College has committed to joining in the bid for funding for the Lancashire
Lifelong Learning Network as an integral strand of our strategy to promote vocational higher
education; to effectively engage with key employment sectors and to strengthen progression
opportunities.
MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
Higher Education provision is mature and well-developed at Blackpool and the Fylde College.
With the support of the University of Lancaster the College has been able to develop a robust
academic management framework and rigorous quality assurance systems. As an Associate
College of Lancaster University, the College is a member of the University’s Committee for
Associated Colleges (CAC), and the University chairs an Annual Assessment Board for all
programmes it validates. One of the key reasons for our strong academic partnership with the
University of Lancaster is to ensure that we benefit from their long experience in maintaining the
highest standards of academic excellence.
The Quinquennial Review, conducted by the Lancaster University Office for Associated
Institutions is a periodic institutional evaluation of the College in order to determine whether it
provides an appropriate institutional environment for higher education work in those areas
where courses are validated by the University. It also formally reviews, on behalf of the Senate,
the Associate College status which the University conferred on the College in 1993. The latest
review, undertaken in 2008, has provided an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of our
partnership arrangements with Lancaster and to put in place arrangements to ensure continued
effectiveness over the next five years as the partnership evolves.
There is a well developed cross-college HE management structure within the College. The
Director of Higher Education is a member of the college Strategic Management Team and of the
Academic Management Team. There are two key HE Committees, the HE Strategy Group
chaired by the Principal, and an HE Academic Development Committee, which focuses on
academic standards, curriculum development and quality enhancement.
Two out of the twelve members of the College Governing Body have considerable experience of
Higher Education, and one of them, who is currently University Secretary and Head of the
Academic Division of Lancaster University, is also a member of the Quality and Standards Subcommittee of the Board. The Board receives regular reports on strategic HE issues.
The College has a well developed approach to risk assessment and management. Key
components of this approach, which is set out in detail in the Risk Management Policy, include
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a Risk Management Group comprising members of the College Senior Management Team, an
Annual Risk Management Plan which is reviewed twice a year and an annual report to the
College Audit Committee on the effectiveness of the plan. In addition, key strategic risks are
selected each year for intensive review by the College’s internal auditors and the results
reported to the College Board.
We recognise the management challenge inherent in our HE Strategy. As we move forward
with our strategy for growing both the volume and scale of our HE provision, we will need to
continuously review the impact our growth is having on our HE academic and administrative
infrastructure. This will need to take account of the recommendations arising from the IQER
pilot with which we have been involved.
Our HE Strategy is shared with the University of Lancaster and other key partners, who are
asked to contribute any views or comments as part of a consultative process. The formal
process of approval for the Strategy is via HE Strategy Group, the Senior Management Team
and then to the College Governors.
The HE Strategy is a public document, available to staff and students of the College, and will be
placed on the College intranet.
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