| Blackpool and The Fylde College | |
| Established: | 1892 |
| Principal: | Alun Francis |
| City: | Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Country: | England, UK |
| Campus: | Bispham, University Centre, Gateway, Fleetwood Nautical, Lancashire Energy HQ |
| Website: | www.blackpool.ac.uk |
Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC) is a further and higher education college in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
The college is a Regional Teaching Partner of Lancaster University and offers full and part-time further education, higher education and vocational courses along with apprenticeships. From September 2016 the college also holds its own foundation degree awarding powers.[1]
Facilities include four main campuses located across the Fylde Coast. The sites in Fleetwood form a specialised Nautical campus, which teaches courses for merchant seafarers and offshore workers. As well as delivering a broad portfolio of accredited safety, survival and fire training courses, qualifications are also awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Lancaster University as well as the college itself.
The history of B&FC dates back to 1892's opening of Fleetwood's School for Fishermen, which later developed into the Nautical campus. Blackpool Technical College (B&FC's Palatine Road site, later expanded into Blackpool Technical College and School of Art) opened in 1937, and expanded again to include the Bispham site c.1970 (Hall, A Hundred Years of Blackpool Education, Blackpool Education Committee, 1970). The Fleetwood and Blackpool colleges combined into B&FC in 1987.[2] The college's Lytham site has been converted to provide sixth form facilities, in conjunction with Lytham St Annes Technology and Performing Arts College.[3]
B&FC Students' Union is affiliated with the NUS and works in partnership with the college. The SU represents students on a range of issues, including equality and diversity, education and social activities.
Located across England, IoTs are a national network of partnerships between local colleges, universities and leading employers of which B&FC is now a part of.[4] Backed by a £290 million government investment, IoTs deliver the high quality technical education, providing skills-based training for careers across multiple technical industries.
B&FC is now a partner with Lancashire and Cumbria's Institute of Technology, delivering a variety of technical IoT courses.[5]