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Education deal aims to keep students local

Ollie ConopoNorthamptonshire
News imageJennifer Masters A man in a light blue suit and white open-necked shirt sits alongside a woman with long blonde hair, wearing in a black dress, at a table. Both have pens in their right hands and are signing documents. They are looking at the camera and smiling.Jennifer Masters
Northampton College principal Jason Lancaster (left) and vice chancellor of the University of Northampton, Prof Anne-Marie Kilday (right), signed off the deal

An agreement aimed at opening more routes into university has been signed by the University of Northampton and Northampton College.

The progression agreement aims to give college students a better chance of getting a degree, with courses being aligned between the two institutions.

College qualifications such as BTECs, T Levels and HNDs will now be mapped against university degrees.

By keeping students from Northampton in the town, college principal Jason Lancaster said he hoped to "create an economic push for the area".

News imageOllie Conopo/BBC A man in a light blue suit with a white open-necked shirt stands in front of a blue banner. He is smiling at the camera.Ollie Conopo/BBC
Lancaster believes the deal can "break down barriers"

The partnership between the two institutions comes amid a rise in students studying in their local area.

Data from UCAS in 2025 showed that 31% of 18-year-old accepted applicants for university in the UK said they intended to live at home while studying, a record high and a slight increase on the previous year's figure.

Lancaster said he hoped the deal would keep students local and "break down barriers" for students to go to university.

"[Students] might be the first people in their family to go to university. We can make that a bit easier for them. Why wouldn't we do that?" he said.

News imageOllie Conopo/BBC A woman with long blonde hair looks at the camera and smiles. She is wearing a denim jacket.Ollie Conopo/BBC
Kilday said the scheme would help students gain transferable skills

The agreement is designed to widen participation in further education, and reduce the barriers linked to the cost of moving away to study.

It also aims to make students' options clear.

Prof Anne-Marie Kilday, vice chancellor at the university, said "the mapping process highlights how skills developed in one discipline can transfer into others".

She also hoped the deal would "equip them [students] with valuable and transferable skills".

The progression agreement is part of the Futureskills Northamptonshire partnership between the University of Northampton, Northampton College and Moulton College.

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