Why study Higher Education at Lakes College?
There are so many reasons to choose Lakes College to continue your studies and progress in your career
Introduction
Why choose Lakes?
Courses at Lakes College are taught by industry professionals, some of who still work within the profession in which they teach.
Our class sizes are often smaller than universities which allows for more contact time with lecturers, and you’ll learn within a dedicated higher education environment with high-tech resources.
Study a degree-level qualification in West Cumbria which has been recognised by national and professional institutes and designed to prepare for employment and progression, including full Honours degrees.
Our provision is quality checked by QAA, the same body that ensures teaching at universities reach the same high standard.
Queen's Anniversary Prize
We recently received the highest national honour in higher and further education
Lakes College has been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its outstanding work in developing highly-skilled technicians for the UK’s nuclear and low carbon energy sectors.
The work, developed collaboratively with industry experts and accredited by the National College for Nuclear, plays a crucial role in shaping site-ready professionals for vital UK industries.
Her Majesty The Queen presented the Prizes to each institution in a presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace, celebrating the successes of 22 colleges and universities across the UK.
Degrees on your doorstep - get your qualifications without leaving Cumbria
Degrees on your doorstep – get your qualifications without leaving Cumbria
Studying on Higher Education programmes at Lakes College is perfect for people who don’t want to leave this beautiful area to get a degree.
You won’t have to worry about accommodation or moving away – our courses are delivered on campus at Lillyhall or online so you can achieve your qualifications here in West Cumbria.
Our campus is located just off the A595 between Whitehaven and Workington, on the major Number 30 and Number 31 bus routes from Whitehaven, Maryport and Workington, and is accessible by cycle paths from both Workington and Whitehaven.
Don your cap and gown to celebrate at our unforgettable Graduation evening
Don your cap and gown to celebrate at our unforgettable Graduation evening
We host an annual Graduation ceremony as a night of celebration for our learners across all higher education programmes.
This is your chance to don a cap and gown and enjoy your moment in the spotlight in front of your friends, family and lecturers.
You’ll also get to enjoy mouthwatering food and drink prepared by our learners courtesy of the on-site Graduates restaurant.
All of this makes for a night to remember – and one not to be missed!
Become a Changemaker and make your student voice heard on campus
Become a Changemaker and make your student voice heard on campus
Our Changemakers group is your opportunity to champion and represent the views of students and influence and lead on student-led change for the benefit of all your fellow learners at the college.
Anyone who is studying at Lakes College and wants to make a change can become a Changemaker!
Martyne Simpson case study
‘We’re very lucky’ – how Lakes helped Martyne to achieve her dream career
Martyne Simpson ran her own beauty salon until she decided to leave behind nine years of waxing and nail extensions to swap them for a hard hat and goggles in pursuit of her dream career in science and engineering.
Now a nuclear waste engineer at Atkins and helping others to follow in her footsteps, Martyne insists her makeover would not have been possible without Lakes College.
Martyne studied A-Level Chemistry at Lakes before enrolling on the Foundation Degree in Nuclear Engineering part-time and a one-year GCSE maths night class while running a successful beauty salon.
Spotting an opportunity to join the decommissioning services team at Atkins, Martyne applied, was invited to interview and was ‘over the moon’ when she was offered the job and could tick her dream career off the bucket list. Martyne then completed a Higher Apprenticeship and BSc (Hons) Degree in Decommissioning and Waste Management through the National College for Nuclear at Lakes College.
After trying a variety of ways to get into the industry but making little progress, Martyne found that it was Lakes College and the National College for Nuclear which finally got her to achieve her vision.
She said: “Lakes College and the National College for Nuclear offer fantastic courses, they’ve got a great support network and I definitely would not have the career that I have today without them as I never really wanted to move away from Cumbria to go to uni or anything like that. I’m quite a home person so the fact that we’ve got it on our doorstep now, we’re very lucky.”