Blackpool and The Fylde College

Further and higher education college in Blackpool, UK

Blackpool and The Fylde College

Established| 1892
Principal| Alun Francis
Location|

Blackpool, Lancashire

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.[citation needed] 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.

## History

[edit]

In Fleetwood, a school for fisherman was opened in 1892.[2] The history of B&FC dates back to 1892's opening of Fleetwood's School for Fishermen, which later developed into the Nautical campus.[3] A technical college was built in 1936.[2] 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.[3] In 1987, the nautical college merged with Blackpool and Fylde College, becoming Blackpool and The Fylde College.[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.[4] In 2009, it opened a new facility. In 2013, it had four main campuses and 70 learning centers. It had around 16,000 students.[2]

In 2025, it had 9 locations listed on its website.[5] Also in 2025, the city of Blackpool finalized a plan to begin construction on a new campus for the university in its town centre, meant to bring up to 3,000 people and set to open in 2027.[6] The city had started purchasing land for the project in 2024, with both Blackpool and the Fylde College and Lancaster University to use the buildings.[7]

## Campuses

[edit]

* Bispham
* Gateway
* Fleetwood Nautical
* Seasiders Learning
* University Centre
* Lancashire Energy HQ

## Students' Union

[edit]

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.

## Institute of Technology

[edit]

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.[8] 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 as of 2023 was a partner with Lancashire and Cumbria's Institute of Technology, delivering a variety of technical IoT courses.[9]

## Alumni

[edit]

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article and are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (August 2024)

|

* Ian Anderson, rock musician
* Peter Baynham, comedian and screenwriter
* Kate Ford, actress
* Craig McDean, photographer
* Sarah Myerscough, model maker / artist for Blackpool Illuminations, previously at Blackpool Pleasure Beach[10]
* Helen Owen, theatre actress
* Craig Parkinson, actor
* Jodie Prenger, actress and singer
* John Simm, actor

## See also

[edit]

* List of UCAS institutions

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "College Granted Foundation Degree Awarding Powers". Blackpool and The Fylde College. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
2. ^ a b c d "Blackpool and The Fylde College", The Independent, 2013, retrieved 7 February 2025
3. ^ a b "The history of B&FC". Blackpool and The Fylde College. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
4. ^ "Welcome to Lytham Sixth Form College". Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
5. ^ Locations, Blackpool, 2025, retrieved 7 February 2025
6. ^ Kelly, Rob (3 February 2025), "Multiversity Compulsory Purchase Order Confirmed in Blackpool", Lancashire Business View, retrieved 7 February 2025
7. ^ Parkinson, Shelagh (10 April 2024), Blackpool's new £65m university campus plan approved, BBC, retrieved 7 February 2025
8. ^ "Home | Institutes of Technology". www.institutesoftechnology.org.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
9. ^ "Institute of Technology at B&FC | Blackpool and The Fylde College". www.blackpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
10. ^ "Sarah Myerscough (Artist) - Timeline". www.sarahmyerscough.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Official site

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