Designed and developed in partnership with industry and employers, Wigan & Leigh College, UK programmes are distinguished by their practical, hands-on skills development focus

Wigan & Leigh College (WLC) is one of Britain’s premier general further and higher education collegiate groups offering a range of vocational and professional programmes to over 14,000 students, including 300 from foreign shores.

Sited in six campuses in the towns of Wigan and Leigh in the Greater Manchester area, Wigan & Leigh College, UK offers 40-plus vocational education programmes across the disciplines of art and design, business, childcare, early years education, engineering, computing and IT, forensic science, media, music and performing arts, psychology and sociology, sport, teacher education, travel, tourism and hospitality. Students have the option of choosing from a range of qualifications including foundation degrees, BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) diplomas and BTEC higher national diplomas conferred by Edexcel, the largest certification board in the UK for academic and vocational qualifications. Completion of WLC’s two-year diplomas qualifies students to enter the second or final year of bachelor degree programmes. Wigan & Leigh College, UK in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire and University of Salford also offers the option of top-up (bachelor) degrees to students who complete its foundation programme or higher national diploma.

Designed and developed in partnership with industry and employers, Wigan & Leigh College, UK programmes are distinguished by their practical, hands-on skills-development focus. Students learn through work-related projects, assignments, and practical work experience. “WLC offers high quality education and training to students. Our curriculum and courses are designed to meet the requirements of industry and prepare students for immediate employment, as well as qualify them to pursue higher education. We offer a wide choice of study programmes from entry to professional and postgraduate levels for full and part-time students, both school-leavers and adults,” says Cath Hurst, principal of WLC.

Established in April 1992 through the merger of Wigan College of Technology (formerly Wigan Mining and Technical College) and Leigh College, WLC has firmly planted its flag in India. Since 1996, through its Indian partner — Wigan and Leigh College India, promoted by Vinay Pasricha — it has been offering certified study programmes in business, fashion, media and design to Indian students. Currently, WLC India has campuses in 16 cities with an enrolment of 3,000 students who are awarded diplomas and degrees of the UK-based parent college. Under the terms of the partnership/franchise agreement, WLC India students also have the option of completing a part of their programmes in the UK.

Wigan & Leigh. The towns of Wigan & Leigh are situated in north-west England between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. The borough of Wigan (pop. 81,203) has an interesting mix of character, history and heritage. Its defunct coal mining history remains with several former colliery sites being redeveloped. It hosts the Grand Arcade which offers a fabulous line-up of major retail stores, as well as numerous pubs, clubs and restaurants. Mesnes Park separates two Wigan College buildings and close by is the Haigh Country Park, which offers 250 acres of park and woodland.

Leigh (pop. 43,000) is just seven miles away and the town centre hosts a range of retail shops, the Spinning Gate Shopping Centre and the newly built Leigh Sports Village.

Campus facilities. WLC is spread across six main sites in the two eponymous towns. All WLC campuses can be easily reached using local public transport and are within short walking distance of town centres. Sited in Wigan are the Parson’s Walk Centre (which hosts extensive commercial facilities including a hair and beauty salon, the Wheel restaurant and a travel shop); Pagefield Centre (state-of-the-art classrooms and workshops in areas ranging from business and management to construction crafts and motor vehicle engineering) and School for the Arts (which houses modern facilities including art and design and dance studios, performance space, photographic darkrooms, Apple Mac and IT suites, editing and recording studios and a TV studio).

WLC campuses in Leigh include the Image Centre — a designated ‘Wella Centre of Excellence’ dedicated to hair, beauty and holistic therapy — which offers realistic working environments, including hairdressing and beauty salons, a nails studio, a theatrical and media make-up room, spa pool, sauna and flotation couch; and the Sixth Form Centre which offers contemporary facilities, including specialist science laboratories, media edit suites, music rooms, a theatrical performance space, art workshops/studios, language laboratory, ICT classrooms, library, learning resources technology centre and students common room.

Sports and fitness facilities are housed in the Impact Centre at Parson’s Walk. This fitness suite is fully equipped with treadmills, step machines, cycles, weights and other gym equipment.

Admission. For admission into WLC’s full-time higher national diplomas and foundation programmes, foreign students need to apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The UCAS institution code for WLC is W67. Admission applications need to be made online at www.ucas.com. For other programmes, students can apply directly to the college. High school certificates/college diplomas and IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores need to be submitted with the admission application. However the entry qualifications required for each course vary, depending on the subject and level.

For further information, contact The International Centre, Wigan & Leigh College, PO Box 53, Parson’s Walk, Wigan WN1 1RS, United Kingdom. Email: c.fowler@wigan-leigh.ac.uk; website: www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk.

Accommodation. WLC does not offer on-campus student housing. However, the college provides a list of private landlords within the borough of Wigan. Foreign students are advised to call +44 1942 761608 to seek help with housing before they arrive in the UK.

Degree programmes. WLC offers a wide range of vocational and professional qualifications including foundation degrees, BTEC diplomas, BTEC higher national diplomas and top-up degrees (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen