GRADUATION Day could be on its way for Wigan as the borough sets out to create its very own university centre.
Wigan and Leigh College has set out ambitious plans to join the big league by raising the profile of higher education over the next decade.
The ‘University Challenge’ is set by the government to towns and cities across England in a bid to expand the country’s highly-skilled workforce and to encourage more young people, who might otherwise be put off by travelling further afield, to continue with their studies.
The government is hoping to create 20 new university towns by 2014.
Wigan and Leigh College is now working on a funding bid with the University of Central Lancashire.
College principal Cath Hurst says: “We are committed to creating a prestigious university centre on a key site in the borough of Wigan. Working in partnership with employers and communities, this centre will provide university-level courses and programmes.”
The college will be looking at developing courses to meet local needs and fill any demands for skills.
The move is being backed by Wigan Council and the borough’s business community.
Council leader Peter Smith believes a higher education centre will be a huge benefit to the borough in both economic and educational terms.
“We are currently in the middle of a recession and it is clear that a different kind of economy will emerge as part of the recovery,” says Lord Smith. “More than ever our borough will need to compete on a global scale with higher skills and higher technology jobs.”
