Lakes College in Lillyhall, Workington, is set to expand its adult-oriented Higher Education through a partnership with The Open University.

The focus will be on broadening the range of technical programmes, due to start early 2024, with the Open University offering specialist support to aid this expansion.

New programmes, subject to validation, will include Foundation Degrees in Low Carbon Energy Technology, Manufacturing for Nuclear, Digital Technologies, and Leadership and Management.

Chris Nattress, principal at Lakes College, said: "We are proud to be working in partnership with The Open University to expand and improve advanced technical skills education in Cumbria.

"At Lakes College we believe having access to a wide range of higher education opportunities on your doorstep is vital to delivering the skilled workforce needed across a huge variety of sectors including science, digital, low carbon energy, nuclear and engineering.

"Being invited to work alongside The Open University will enable us to build on our current higher education offering with specialist support.

"This will hopefully mean that more people in our area can secure better jobs and meet the skills needs of our region."

Dean of Higher Education, Paul Fairclough, joined in the praise.

He said: “We are delighted to be working with such a prestigious organisation as The Open University.

“This relationship also supports our move towards innovative blended delivery approaches including virtual and augmented reality accessed from home or the workplace.”

The Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Professor Tim Blackman, appreciated the role of such initiatives.

He said: “Advanced skills training is vital to create thriving local economies, attracting new businesses, and helping others grow.

“Funding from the UK Government has enabled the OU to work with further education colleges to develop their technical higher education offering in their local communities.

“We are delighted to welcome the new colleges into the fold.”