Hugh Baird University Centre announces exciting new partnership with the University of Cumbria

In the first phase of the partnership, the Hugh Baird University Centre will be offering a Foundation Degree(FdSc) Assistant Practitioner in Health and Social Care course from September 2020. The course will give students the knowledge and skills needed to become an Assistant Practitioner, and also the opportunity to progress onto an allied health professional courses, such as Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Radiography and Physiotherapy.

The Foundation Degree (FdSc) Assistant Practitioner in Health and Social Care course has been chosen to support the current labour market demands in the Liverpool City Region. There is an ever-increasing need for Health, Social Care and Nursing Practitioners within the region, with the sector currently supporting over 6,000 careers and contributing over £170 million per year to the region’s economy.

Hugh Baird College works in partnership with several NHS Trusts across the North West and has recently opened a state-of-the-art health, social care and mental health training hub at their St Winefride’s Campus, in partnership with the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. The campus provides a base for the College’s health, social care and mental health courses, which students can study from the age of 14, up to a full honours degree at the University Centre.

The Hugh Baird University Centre is part of Hugh Baird College, one of the largest providers of education and training in Merseyside.  The College has invested in a dedicated University Centre with state-of-the-art facilities and has grown its course provision over the last six years. This new partnership adds to their current cohort of partners; the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)

In June 2017, the Hugh Baird University Centre was awarded a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating for delivering consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. The University Centre is one of an elite group of universities to achieve the highest status of the framework. The TEF was introduced by the government to provide evidence about the performance of the Higher Education sector in the UK.

Colette Mawdsley, Dean of Higher Education and Access at the Hugh Baird University Centre, said: 

“I am extremely proud to announce our new partnership with the University of Cumbria. The partnership will initially enhance our health and social care provision at the University Centre, and it will provide further opportunities for our graduates to progress into a successful career in the health sector. The partnership enhances our commitment to providing high quality and affordable higher education opportunities to the communities of the Liverpool City Region.” 

David McGregor, Head of Collaborative Provision at the University of Cumbria, said:

“The University of Cumbria is delighted to be working in partnership with Hugh Baird College.  The University has a long tradition of health and social care provision and will be working with the College to support the development of its HE offer in this subject.  This is an especially valuable subject area at this time, and we are looking forward to seeing the partnership grow and develop.”