A COLLEGE is to launch a university centre which it hopes will benefit hundreds of students.

St Mary’s College in Blackburn is to extend its higher education provision as part of a deal with Liverpool Hope University.

The new centre will open in September with the university hoping to make itself ‘more visible’ in the college and offer university level teaching to more people across East Lancashire.

The Shear Brow college has worked with Liverpool Hope for around 15 years offering evening degree courses to adult learners.

The university’s faculty of education and business already offers undergraduate BA courses in early childhood and education, education and special educational needs and business management.

The new programmes include masters degrees in education and education leadership and management, early childhood and education leadership and management and early childhood and education.

The centre will also offer a new range of accredited and non-accredited professional development courses for Education professionals, including leadership training, a National Award in SEN Coordination, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses.

A Level and BTEC students considering a degree will also be able to drop in to the centre for advice.

In June 2017, Liverpool Hope University was awarded Gold in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework.

Prof Gerald Pillay, vice chancellor of Liverpool Hope, said: “We are proud to work closely with St Mary’s to ensure that people in Blackburn and the surrounding areas can access higher education and professional development in a way that fits in with their life.

“We have had an excellent calibre of students via St Mary’s, taking degrees in business management, education, disability studies and more.

“Making ourselves more visible at St Mary’s is the next step in opening up degree-level, Gold standard university-level teaching to even more people in the area.”

Jenny Singleton, Interim Principal at St Mary’s said: “We are delighted that Liverpool Hope has chosen St Mary’s College to offer Gold standard university-level teaching to our College community.

“We look forward to working closely with such valued professionals in supporting our aspiration to deliver outstanding teaching and learning to all students, regardless of age and background.”

The Liverpool Hope University Centre will open at St Mary’s on Friday, September 1.