Bringing higher education to the Isle of Man

Under the terms of the agreement the Isle of Man Department of Education and The University will work together to improve access to higher education for Isle of Man students and to broaden the range of higher education opportunities available in the Isle of Man itself.

The agreement, which is for an initial period of three years includes: The affiliation of the Isle of Man College to The University of Liverpool, from October 1996. This will enable the College to offer courses leading to certificates, diplomas and degrees of The University of Liverpool, and will give its staff access to training courses, higher degree study and library/computing facilities in the University; promotion by the IOM Government of degree courses at the University; opportunities for students to gain credits leading to University awards by successfully completing part-time continuing education courses organised by the University in the IOM; the development of collaborative research projects and international promotion of higher education opportunities in the Isle of Man by The University.

The Vice-Chancellor said 'Links between The University of Liverpool and the Isle of Man go back a long time. It was more than 100 years ago, for example, when the University established a marine biological station at Port Erin (now the Port Erin Marine Laboratory) to study the biology of the Irish Sea. More recently, the Centre for Manx Studies was established to work with the Manx Museum on the archaeology and history of the Isle of Man. The signing of this agreement means that we can now work even more closely with the Isle of Man Government, developing degree level teaching at the Isle of Man College and identifying areas with the potential for research. It is an exciting prospect.'

Mr Noel Cringle MHK, the Isle of Man Minister for Education, said 'I am delighted that access to higher education opportunities will become more freely available to the people of the Isle of Man, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of the entire community. The signing of this agreement is the first step towards the creation of a University College in the Isle of Man and, in particular, I can envisage an Isle of Man Business School being a natural development.'

The first course to be developed will be a Master of Business Administration, which is expected to commence in January 1997. This will be followed by further degree courses relevant to the business community of the Island. It is intended to develop other undergraduate courses in areas of business and finance, information technology and engineering. Students enroling on these full-time undergraduate courses will be able to begin their degree studies at the College either by following a Higher National Diploma course or enrol directly onto the first year of the degree itself. Students will then progress directly to The University of Liverpool to complete their degrees. Additionally, it is planned to develop part-time degree courses on the Island in engineering, business and finance and business-related courses.

The University's programme of continuing education courses will also play an important role in improving access to higher education. Already very popular with Isle of Man students, these part-time courses have become a pathway to degree level study, following the introduction of credits.

The College will share the University's computer facilities and its links with Europe. In time, the College may provide degree programmes which will be followed entirely in the Isle of Man.