QAA says standardof ‘tech’ provisionin top 10% in UK

And the North West Regional College (NWRC) intends refurbishing its premises in Springtown, further developing its Strand Road site and launching a number of new foundation degrees in the years ahead.

In a presentation - due to be delivered to the Council Regional Services Committee meeting as the Sentinel went to press on Tuesday (April 1) - NWRC representatives said Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) provision would to be expanded.

NWRC also promises to expand higher education provision as outlined in the One Plan whilst improving the quality of teaching and learning and student success rates.

According to NWRC the student success rate has risen steadily over the past four years from 56 per cent in 2009/10 to 79 per cent in 2012/13 - a 23 per cent hike.

‘Tech’ management also points out that “97 per cent of the teaching and learning has been deemed good, very good or outstanding by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) with three per cent satisfactory.”

Its says the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) believes provision at the ‘tech’ to be within the top decile in the entire United Kingdom.

“The QAA expressed ‘confidence’ in the quality of the higher education delivery and noted it was in the top 10 per cent of Higher Education provisions in the UK,” they state.

The institution also appears to be in rude health financially. In addition to a grant from the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) of £23m it brings in £12m per year in annual turnover. And between 2009/10 and 2013/14 it managed to provide £9,228,000 in extra unfunded provision through efficiency savings.