Accreditation award for Higher Education engineering programmes at LEHQ

Lancashire Energy HQ is celebrating the accreditation of another of its engineering programmes today. The FdEng Nuclear Engineering and BEng (Hons) Nuclear Engineering top-up programmes have received the highest industry honour through accreditation with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The Engineering Council explains:

This degree has been accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council.  Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).  An accredited degree will provide students with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng).  Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

This exceptional award is the second successful accreditation of a higher education programme for the Lancashire Energy HQ campus following the accreditation of the FdEng Aerospace Engineering and BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering top-up programmes in 2020. Scott Cubitt, Head of Engineering and Science at Blackpool and The Fylde College said:

This is another great outcome for the Engineering and Science curriculum area at B&FC, and we now have the highest number of IET accredited degree programmes of any General Further Education College. I'm immensely grateful for the continued professionalism of the staff and the desire to gain recognition for our amazing curriculum. For the team at LEHQ, to add this to last year's NSAN awards win for the nuclear programme, it sets this programme, and LEHQ, out as one of the best providers in the nuclear sector.

IET accreditation is a stamp of the highest quality from an esteemed community of engineers in the UK, and around the world, and the nuclear engineering programme was accredited with Partial CEng - the highest level available for BEng (Hons) degrees. The accreditation vetting process is rigorous, focusing on a wide range of topics including academic integrity, the strength of college links with industry, and an audit of the standard of student work on the programme thus far.

Why choose engineering?

There is a greater demand than ever for engineers and those with engineering mindsets. According to recruitment agency Michael Page, there is currently a shortfall of 55,000 skilled engineering professionals in the UK. And that number grows every year. EngineeringUK chief executive Paul Jackson said:

Engineering is a vital part of the UK economy, not just in terms of significant turnover but also with regards to employment. For every new engineering role an additional two jobs are created in the economy.

Dr Candice Downie, Operations Manager for LEHQ, also added:

This is fantastic news for both Lancashire Energy HQ, and for the students studying on these programmes. The FdEng Nuclear Engineering and BEng (Hons) Nuclear Engineering programmes, validated by Lancaster University, are studied alongside the Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer Degree Apprenticeship programmes with some of the North West’s most prestigious nuclear organisations, and this seal of approval from the IET recognises the amazing team effort that has gone into creating and maintaining this course of study since its inception in 2016.

Stakeholder partners on this degree apprenticehip programme include BAE Systems (Submarines), Westinghouse Springfields Fuels, Office for Nuclear Regulation, National Nuclear Laboratory, and Actemium Design UK. If you would like to find out more about engineering degree apprenticeships at LEHQ please email energy@blackpool.ac.uk, or contact our course enquiries on 01253 504343.