Plans to boost student figures

The institution’s Burnley campus, will see a massive 1,000 per cent increase in its student body over the next seven years.

Proposals will see the number of UCLan students in the town rise from under 400 to 2,000 by 2021 and 4,000 by 2025.

Working with Burnley Council and current partners East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, and alongside the Burnley Bondholders group of local business leaders, the extra provision will be designed to meet the existing and future needs of Burnley and East Lancashire.

UCLan is in the throes of acquiring Victoria Mill, which housed the former University Technical College, and the plan is to use that building, the existing Burnley campus and Burnley General Hospital.

Subject areas will include a range of business and professional topics, health and social care, and digital and technical provision, and will include degree apprenticeships as well as traditional degrees at undergraduate and masters levels.

UCLan pro-chancellor and chairman of the University Board David Taylor said: “This investment in Burnley is an exciting development which demonstrates our commitment as a university to Burnley and Pennine Lancashire and to helping to be a force for economic growth and social mobility across the county and beyond.”

The implementation of the plans will be overseen by UCLan’s recently appointed Provost for Burnley, Dr Ebrahim Adia.

UCLan currently has 36,000 students and is the ninth largest in the country.