Greater Manchester may soon have a new university amidst local college’s growth plans

Greater Manchester could soon see another university joining its ranks, with an east Manchester college campus aiming to achieve univerity status.

UK Management College (UKMC) operates multiple UK sites after being established in 2016, with its three Greater Manchester sites including a space in Salford.

The college was established by husband and wife Zahidul and Abida Islam, with the aim of helping students from socially disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds complete management programmes.

UKMC also targets mature students who are returning to education after a break.

Professor Jason Powell, the college’s provost, recently shared that the college has begun plans to gain university status so it can award its own degrees, as part of its Transforming Lives Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030.

The plan was written in collaboration with students, staff and stakeholders.

Professor Powell said gaining university status was “really important” for the institution, so they may have “more autonomy for the future.”

Currently, the institution now offers degrees through partnerships with universities like the University of Wolverhampton and Arts University Bournemouth.

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Potential courses include fashion management, digital marketing, business management and health and social care.

Professor Powell said college staff “very much value the university partnerships that we have and may have in the future.”

“These partnerships are not just created overnight,” he explained, “they’re cultivated carefully and it shows us a quality beacon of excellence in order to attract leading universities to deliver their programmes in the heart of Greater Manchester and across the UK.”

The college focuses on “underrepresented groups in education,” helping students who may struggle to find a way into university gain access to higher education.

“We saw it as a human right, a fundamental human right, that no one should be denied access to education irrespective of social identity or social division,” Professor Powell said.

“We’re a very strong widening participation college. One of the strong pillars and foundations of the college for students has been about enhanced student support…from their first interaction with the college to plans for when they graduate.”

University status plans will be completed over the next four years and beyond.

Featured images via Google Maps and Unsplash