University Centre

Welcome to the University Centre Wigan & Leigh College

Incorporating the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology

With over 70 years of expertise delivering higher technical education, the University Centre is designed to take your education to the next step. We specialise in Business, Technology, Creative Arts & Media, Construction & Engineering, Health & Social Care and Sport & Education.

We’re driven by excellence, and offer courses suited to enhance your development. All of which will be taught in our multi-million-pound learning facilities. We’ll give you an education that’s not just about books but practical and hands on for the job you want. You’ll come away with the skills employers want whether you’re starting out, retraining or looking to up your skills in your job.

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What our

Students Say

Alicia

“My job is really rewarding. If I won the lottery I wouldn’t be doing anything else – it’s amazing to see students achieve, when at first it seems like everything is stacked against them.”

Alicia Gerrard

(FdA) Children, Young People and Their Services

Hayleigh

"The support was fantastic, the tutors couldn’t do enough for you. There was 9 people in my group and every single one of them is in employment now."

Hayleigh Roberts

Certificate in Education

Jack

“The placement hours prepared me well. You start off observing and then you can choose how quickly you want to dive into the classroom. I wanted to get stuck in.”

Jack Knott

PGCE

Quaid

“The University Centre isn’t like a bigger University where you don’t always know your tutors. That really set it apart for me because it was tailored to the student’s needs, it’s not about just making money as an institution, and they really want you to succeed from knowing you on a personal level.”

Quaid Wilson

HND International Travel & Tourism Management

Lewis

“The hands-on teaching and small class sizes helped me chose the college because I found it easier to work in smaller groups with the tutors providing regular feedback rather than sitting in a lecture hall with 100+ students.”

Lewis Hart

HND Sport & Exercise Science

Danielle

“I decided to come back to study after having my son, before that I’d worked in pubs. I was terrified before I came back to education but the tutors here were amazing. They answered any questions I had and were very knowledgeable.”

Danielle Daws

HND Applied Sciences - Biology pathway

Charlie

“I got a job with Fase Group, and I wanted to progress my studies, so they put me through my Level 3 and 4 qualifications. I chose to study here because it’s local and aligned with my goals. The course is good because it’s enjoyable. It’s not just exams, there’s assignments too.”

Charlie Atkins

HNC (HTQ) Quantity Surveying for England

Cameron

“I’ve always wanted to give back, so teaching is something I’m absolutely loving on my course – especially my placement at Leigh College. I think it’s such an amazing group of people that I’m working with. I’m just like a sponge absorbing all of the knowledge, trying to get as much information and better myself as a teacher.”

Cameron Clark

PGCE - Further Education and Skills Sector

Olivia

“Whatever you learn here you can apply to work. For example, document writing was something I learned through the course. I’ve enjoyed all my modules and it’s been helpful for what I want to do in my career.”

Olivia Bantham

HND Mechanical Engineering for England (HTQ)

Nathan

“I decided to do a design degree apprenticeship with Sellafield. I wanted the benefits of the apprenticeship and industry experience alongside formal qualifications. It will help me with my ultimate aim to gain chartered engineer status; it’s highly regarded in engineering.”

Nathan Willis

BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Top-Up)

Dean

“I did one day at college and spent the rest of the week at work. There was a good balance because our coursework was set early and we were given appropriate deadline. The tutors always offered support.”

Dean Woolley

BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Top-Up)

Ben

“I wouldn’t know half the things I need for work without my studies. It’s 100% a good thing and influences my work. It’s so worth it.”

Ben Reeves

HND Mechanical Engineering for England (HTQ)

Charlie

“The work I do at Sellafield is very advanced – and at college we learn the fundamentals to gain that understanding. I like the in-depth topics, and the lecturers have a lot of industry experience which means they can apply the theoretical topics to real world situations – this gives us a chance to see this in the workplace too.”

Charlie Roberts

HND Civil Engineering

Lewis

“The whole course helps me to think more laterally and pushes me to think in a different way. I have been to New York, Lisbon and Tokyo as part of this course, visiting lots of agencies and learning about lots of different cultures. It’s been really eye-opening as each culture approaches design in a different way.”

Lewis Pickersgill

BA (Hons) Creative Practitioner - Graphics Pathway (Top-up)

Stephen

“I used to run training courses for other engineers in my previous job. Now, I’m working part time for the college, lecturing level 3 Engineering students whilst still studying for my HND. Next year I plan to complete a PGCE here to become a full-time college tutor.”

Stephen Duncalf

HNC Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Laura

“I liked that the course was quite personal. Because of the smaller class sizes, we got 1-1 tuition. It’s not like going to a larger university with hundreds in a class, there was never more than 10 students in mine.”

Laura Ward

BEng (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Top-up)

Ethan

“Now I have a Degree Apprenticeship with Sellafield as a Systems Engineer and getting my HNC helped me to secure this new role. I’m continuing to study at the University Centre through my apprenticeship and I want to progress in the engineering field.”

Ethan Pye

HNC Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Tony

“I have learned a lot in my time here and I would encourage anyone who would like to further their career in construction, no matter what age you are, to give it a go.”

Tony Woolley

(HTQ) Construction Management for England (Construction Site Supervisor)

Joe

“Completing this course has allowed me to finish the first part of my apprenticeship and move on into further education. I enjoyed all of the modules but took a particular liking to the individual project, discussing different aspects of energy efficiency within the construction industry.”

Joe Riley

Level 4 Construction Design and Build Technician – Apprenticeship

Leah

“I went to visit a few larger Universities at open days but, looking around the massive lecture theatres, I knew it wasn’t the right environment for me. I appreciate the 1-1 support here, there were only around 11 people in my class.”

Leah Martindale

BSC Hons Computing (Top-up)

Adem

“I have gained a much higher level of confidence in both my technical knowledge of my work sector, as well as my own personal mind-set from the tasks undertaken on my course.”

Adem Sen

BSC Hons Computing (Top-up)

Ryan

“Compared to larger universities] we still had access to all these websites and resources, it was cheaper, the transport was much better, there was just so much more.”

Ryan Murphy

BA (Hons) Business and Administration (Top-up)

Dylan

“I was able to apply for higher level roles, as this qualification opened doors to more opportunities. The flexibility of the course was important for me in terms of accessibility. I now demonstrate management skills more confidently and apply what I have learned on the course in my job role.”

Dylan Bennett

HND Computing and BSc (Hons) Computing (Top-up). Dylan now works as a Research Software Engineer at the Hartree Centre, part of the government’s Science Technology Facilities Council.

Simone

Simone was a Level 6 Nuclear Scientist/Engineer Integrated Degree Apprentice. She now works full-time at Sellafield Ltd as a Design Engineer.

“The five-year experience has shaped me as an engineer. It’s been priceless and it’s set me up with industry experience, a degree, and a salary at the same time.”

Simone Wilson

BEng (Hons) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Jade

“I was able to apply for higher level roles and the course opened up doors to more opportunities. It has given me lots of knowledge especially working in an organisation with 7000 staff.”

"The accessibility of the course in terms of cost was also good.”

Jade Cartwright

CIPD HR Management Level 5, Jade is now HR Project Lead at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Mollie

“I was working full-time but having the course on a couple of evenings meant there was still time to study after work too. I’d definitely recommend the course. It’s definitely helped with my career.”

Mollie Fairhurst

AAT Level 4 Diploma

Michael

“The course has helped 100% to get me to the position I’m at now. Everything we learnt related to real life scenarios.

“I really enjoyed it and it was a great year group to be with and our tutors did everything they could to help us get the best grades possible.”

Michael Matthews

HNC Construction and the Built Environment - Assistant Estimator at Bellway Homes

Charles

“The smaller class sizes and the one-to-one contact time with tutors really suited me.

“It usually takes quite a while to secure employment in graphic design after graduation, so I am really thrilled to be starting work so soon.”

Charles Simpson

BA (Hons) Creative Practitioner (Graphic Design)