Wigan and Leigh College

Last updated

Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan & Leigh College logo.jpg
Wigan and Leigh College (1).jpg
Location
Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan and Leigh
,
Information
Established1857 – Wigan Mining and Technical College
1992 – Wigan & Leigh College
Local authority Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
Head teacherAnna Dawe
Enrolment8,000
Colour(s)Yellow & blue   
Website http://www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk

Wigan & Leigh College is a state General Further and Higher Education College based at five locations in the towns of Wigan and Leigh in Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Currently, there are 500 staff members employed, and more than 8,000 students enrolled in full-time or part-time courses. The college's programmes of study include: General Certificate of Education (GCSEs), BTEC First Diplomas, A-Levels, T-Levels, National Diplomas, Higher National Diplomas, Apprenticeships, Foundation Degree and Degree courses.

Contents

The foundations of Wigan & Leigh College date back to 1857, and the current institution was formed in April 1992 through the merger of Wigan College of Technology and Leigh College. Both have a long-standing history of providing academic technical and vocational education. Wigan & Leigh College has four 'Centers of Excellence' in Sport, Creative Arts, Engineering and Health and Social Care.

History

Wigan College of Technology

Wigan College building used from 1903 to the late 1980s (now Wigan Town Hall) Town Hall (Formerly Wigan And District Mining And Technical College) And Railings.jpg
Wigan College building used from 1903 to the late 1980s (now Wigan Town Hall)

In 1857 the suggestion of opening a mining college in Wigan was made by the prominent mine-owner Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell to the trustees of the Wigan Blue Coat National School, and Wigan Mining and Technical College was formed that year. When classes started on 2 August 1858, there were fifty enrolled students in the subjects of mining, geology and chemistry. [1]

By 1875, the college had grown to hold 130 students. However, it was still peripatetic, with no fixed location and was based in other local venues such as the Town Hall, the Conservative Club and Wigan Grammar School, until 1882 when its first college building was erected. [1] By the turn of the century, it was regarded as one of the foremost mining colleges in the country. [2] In 1903, after raising £50,000, [1] the college moved a new ornate campus building, which was used for much of the 20th century (now used as Wigan Town Hall). [2]

In 1946, the college first started offering higher-education programmes, originally accredited by the University of London. By 1956, the college had awarded 500 degree certificates, mainly in mining and engineering. [3] Throughout the years, it offered a growing range of courses and was later renamed Wigan College of Technology in 1972. [2] During the 1970s it had around 10,000 full-time and part-time students. [1]

Leigh College

Grade II listed Leigh College building used from 1894 to 2010 Leigh College.JPG
Grade II listed Leigh College building used from 1894 to 2010

Leigh college was founded as Leigh Technical School in 1894, and was opened on 26 September by Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby. [4] The new red-brick building, built in the English Renaissance style, cost £23,000 and also included a public library and a "chemical theatre and laboratory" on the upper floor. [5] It was granted technical college status in 1926. [4]

Wigan & Leigh College

Both Wigan and Leigh colleges eventually became tertiary colleges. [6] The current institution was formed after the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 when Wigan and Leigh colleges merged. [7]

In 2017, Wigan & Leigh College was awarded "University Centre" status, allowing students to achieve a higher education accredited by the University of Central Lancashire from the college. [8]

In 2018, Wigan & Leigh College won FE College of the Year (North West Educate Awards). [9]

Northwest campuses

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College</span> Educational institution or part of one

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tertiary education</span> Advanced level of education, usually for adults

Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including universities as well as trade schools and colleges. Higher education is taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, while vocational education beyond secondary education is known as further education in the United Kingdom, or included under the category of continuing education in the United States.

Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments. The UK Government is responsible for England, whilst the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh, Greater Manchester</span> Town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan

Leigh is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, on low-lying land northwest of Chat Moss.

An institute of technology is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science, and natural sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

Leigh is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by James Grundy of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atherton, Greater Manchester</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Atherton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England and historically part of Lancashire. The town, including Hindsford, Howe Bridge and Hag Fold, is 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Bolton, 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Wigan, and 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Manchester. From the 17th century, for about 300 years, Atherton was known as Chowbent, which was frequently shortened to Bent, the town's old nickname. During the Industrial Revolution, the town was a key part of the Manchester Coalfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Makerfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Yvonne Fovargue of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astley, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Astley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it is crossed by the Bridgewater Canal and the A580 East Lancashire Road. Continuous with Tyldesley, it is between Wigan and Manchester, both 8 miles (13 km) away. Astley Mosley Common ward had a population of 11,270 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyldesley</span> Market town in Greater Manchester, England

Tyldesley is a market town in Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it is north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, 8 miles (12.9 km) southeast of Wigan and 9 miles (14.5 km) northwest of Manchester. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, the Tyldesley built-up area subdivision, excluding Shakerley, had a population of 16,142.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy</span>

Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy (NVNA) is the oldest technical educational institution in the Republic of Bulgaria. Its history, past and present achievements establish the institution as the most prestigious centre for training maritime specialists in the country. Its development over the years resembles a navigable river, into which many tributaries flow, as well as the "prototypes" of the present-day faculties, departments, and vocational colleges constituting the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

West Herts College is a college for further education in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The college has campuses in Watford and Hemel Hempstead. As of 2017 the college has 5,900 students on study programmes or apprenticeships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John Rigby College, Wigan</span> Sixth form/further education school in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England

St John Rigby College is a sixth form college in the Orrell district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester situated in a 30-acre (12 ha) estate. As a college for students who intend to proceed into higher education, students are accepted from across the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and Metropolitan Borough of Bolton areas of Greater Manchester as well as parts of Merseyside and Lancashire.

Yeovil College is a tertiary college for further education and higher education based in Yeovil, Somerset. It maintains a main campus in the town and, at a second site, a Construction Skills Centre. In conjunction with the universities of Bournemouth, the West of England (UWE) and Gloucestershire, the college provides Higher Education, degree-level and professional courses at a third site known as the University Centre Yeovil (UCY). In Shaftesbury, the college runs the North Dorset Skills Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford, Greater Manchester</span> One of three townships that merged to form Leigh, England

Bedford, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh. Historically, Bedford was in Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsonage Colliery</span>

Parsonage Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Lancashire Coalfield in Leigh, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. The colliery, close to the centre of Leigh and the Bolton and Leigh Railway was sunk between 1913 and 1920 by the Wigan Coal and Iron Company and the first coal was wound to the surface in 1921. For many years its shafts to the Arley mine were the deepest in the country. The pit was close to the town centre and large pillars of coal were left under the parish church and the town's large cotton mills.

Takoradi Technical University is a public tertiary education institution (university) located in Sekondi-Takoradi, the capital of the Western Region of Ghana. Takoradi Technical University was established as a government technical institute in 1954 and became part of the State Tertiary Education System. Later, after the passage of the Polytechnic Law of 1992, it was replaced by the Polytechnics Law in 2007. In 2016, the bill to convert six out of the 10 polytechnics into a fully fledged university received the unanimous approval of Ghanaian legislators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education</span>

The Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education is a statutory body in Sri Lanka coming under the purview of the Higher Education Ministry and offering Higher National Diploma courses. At present, it manages and supervises eighteen provincial Advanced Technological Institutes throughout the island. The institute is traditionally known for its education in the accountancy and engineering. As per the recommendations of the Committee appointed by Prof. Wiswa Waranapala, Deputy Minister of Higher Education in 1994, the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technical Education (SLIATE) was formed in 1995, under the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technical Education Act No. 29 of 1995. In 2001, the name of the institution was amended as Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DISTED College</span> Private collect in Penang, Malaysia

DISTED College is a private college within George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It was established in 1987 as the first Penang-based private tertiary institution. The college provides various pre-university, diploma and degree courses, some of which are twinned with foreign universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigan Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England

The new Town Hall is a former technical college in Library Street, Wigan, England which was converted into a municipal facility in 1990. It is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 G W Roderick; M D Stephens (1972). Mining Education in England and Wales in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century (PDF). Vol. 2. The Irish Journal of Education. pp. 114–115.
  2. 1 2 3 "History of Wigan Town". Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. "College is marking milestone anniversary in style". Wigan Today . 19 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 James Mutch (15 September 2019). "LOOKING BACK: Crowds turn out for opening of Leigh Technical School". Leigh Journal .
  5. "Leigh Technical School (former) and Public Library: Railway Road Leigh". manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk. A Biographical Dictionary of the Architects of Greater Manchester 1800-1940. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  6. "Tertiary Colleges (Hansard, 4 June 1991)".
  7. "Wigan & Leigh College report and financial statements" (PDF). Wigan & Leigh College. 2015.
  8. "Wigan & Leigh College is awarded University Centre status". fenews.co.uk. 19 May 2017.
  9. "We won 'College of the Year' at the Educate North Awards". Wigan & Leigh College.
  10. 1 2 "Wigan & Leigh College :: Manchester United Women First team players Enrol at Leigh College". Wigan & Leigh College. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2023.