The City of Liverpool College

Not to be confused with Liverpool College.
The City Of Liverpool College
College Logo
Established April 1992
Type Community
Principal Elaine Bowker
Chairperson Peter Grieve
Location The Learning Exchange (Main Site)
Liverpool
Merseyside
L1 9DW
England Coordinates: 53°25′34″N 2°55′29″W / 53.426155°N 2.924823°W
DfE URN 130487 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students 17,000+ (07/08)[1]
Gender Coeducational
Ages 16+
Website The City Of Liverpool College

The City Of Liverpool College is one of three college of further education in Liverpool, Merseyside. It was established in 1992 by the amalgamation of all the further education colleges in Liverpool.

In 2005, it had approximately 7,000 full-time and 18,000 part-time students. The current principal is Elaine Bowker.

The College is based on several sites around the city, mainly in the city centre. DISCs (Drop In Study Centres) now called Skills Centres are local facilities located in the suburbs and in most main centres in order to enable students to work outside of college, providing internet access, books and access to the central college network.

In the last seven years an extensive building programme has seen the closure of several unsuitable buildings and the opening of new centres in the city. In February 2006, a refurbished Bankfield Road Centre re-opened and the Old Swan Centre was closed as it was unfit for purpose.

The college left LEA control and was incorporated in 1993 and is overseen by the Corporation Board. The college's first Principal was Wally Brown CBE. The board is made up of representatives from local businesses and communities. The college receives its funding from the government via the Learning and Skills Council, Greater Merseyside.

College Campus

There are 6 main college centres, all of which are within the City Centre area and 17 Skills Centre across Liverpool.

The Arts Centre

The Arts Centre has established itself as the leading arts teaching and learning institution on Merseyside. Providing specialist arts and technical facilities, recording studios, premier dance and drama facilities – as well as first-class photography, fashion and multimedia studios. More than 2,000 students study here.

Creative Apprenticeships are run at this centre along with courses in:

HE programmes in Creative and Digital Arts are also run at the Arts Centre.

This centre is also a founder college for the National Skills Academy for creative and cultural skills and a lead provider for fashion; which means it is recognised as a centre of teaching excellence by these industries. It also means the academies work closely with employers to ensure college graduates are armed with the skills required for successful careers in these sectors.

Bankfield Road

The Bankfield site was re-opened in November 2006 after a refurbishment.[2]

A wide range of professional business and IT programmes for adults run at this centre as well as higher education courses including Batchelors Degree in Social Work and Access to HE. It is also the centre for courses in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL).

The business development team are also located in Bankfield Road centre. They focus on working with employers to identify skills gaps and provide bespoke training and support around these needs. They also run a range of specialist courses focusing on the skills needed to get people back in to employment or to start up in business.

Facilities at the centre include a fully equipped learning resource centre and a nursery specialising in care of infants aged from 0-2 years.

Bankfield Road centre can be accessed by bus or car via Queen’s Drive (Jolly Miller pub).

The following course types are available:

Clarence Street

Clarence Street centre was opened in 2001. The following course types are available:

Duke Street

Opened in 2003, Duke Street offers The following course types:

Mulberry Street

The site at Mulberry Street has been specifically designed and constructed to support the needs of students with learning disabilities and difficulties.[3] Mulberry Street is in the heart of Liverpool, and from September 2009, will be known as the Arts Centre as a new multi-million pound extension was built in late 2008. The following course types are available:

Business and Retail

Essential Skills for Life including:

Support Services based at Mulberry Street include:

Vauxhall Road

Opened in 2003, costing over £10 million this centre specialises in construction and engineering.[4] The following course types are available:

The Learning Exchange

The college's £35m Learning Exchange on Roscoe Street is central to The City Of Liverpool's City 6 offer around A-levels. It offers students state-of-the-art learning environments combined with first rate leisure space, including gym and sports hall.

You’ll find everything you need in one place including:

The Learning Exchange is the location for courses in: maritime skills and A-levels in PE, classical civilisation, law, sociology, English language, literature, philosophy, business studies and IT. It is also home to HE programmes in computing and business with accounting.

The Learning Exchange is located within five minutes walk of the City Centre and close to the heart of the City's main universities' campuses. It offers easy, flexible access to all modes of transport and the City's many diverse attractions. The City of Liverpool College has commissioned a seventh college building located on Roscoe Street in Liverpool. The new building provides a further investment of £50 million for the college.

The site is now open.[5]

Skills Centres

The City of Liverpool College is committed to providing opportunities for all. It has established a network of neighbourhood Skills Centres across the city focusing on skills training for the workplace.

17 of these are located in neighbourhoods right across the city with five of them being within the college sites.[6]

Qualifications available

The college offers traditional academic qualifications such as GCSE and A-Levels, but additionally offers vocational awards, certificates or diplomas, known as BTEC. Students studying these tend to progress to university.

There are some professional qualifications such as Microsoft Systems Administrator, Microsoft Office Specialist and CISCO CCNA. Students studying these either are doing so to strengthen their career prospects or enhance their existing skills.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Facts and Figures". The City of Liverpool College. March 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  2. ↑ "Bankfield Road". The City of Liverpool College. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  3. ↑ "Mulberry Street". The City of Liverpool College. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  4. ↑ "Vauxhall Road". The City of Liverpool College. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  5. ↑ "The Learning Exchange - The City of Liverpool College". Liv-coll.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  6. ↑ "Drop In Study Centres (DISC's) - The City of Liverpool College". Liv-coll.ac.uk. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2012-10-01.

External links

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/130487