Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC) is home to one of the most hands-on higher education science programmes in the region. The Certificate of Higher Education in Applied Science, delivered under the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT) banner, is giving students the real-world skills, industry connections and practical confidence to launch careers across the science sector.
Ask any student on the course what they love most and the answer is the same: the practicals. From rat dissections and salt marsh surveys to chemistry titrations and water quality testing at Stanley Park, students spend significant time out of their seats and in the lab – or the field.
Robert Simper, a 19-year-old student from Blackpool who progressed from his Level 3 at B&FC, puts it simply:
“You do a practical most weeks. You learn the professional skills you actually need – not just theory, like how to use the equipment, and do it again and again.”
For Emily Tandy, 23, who previously studied biomedical science at ULan, the difference in environment has been transformative.
“At ULan there was a very big class of almost 300 people. It’s been a lot nicer to be able to have more support.”
The course’s small group sizes mean students are never just a number – tutors know them, challenge them and invest in their progress.
One of the course’s standout features is access to equipment you’d expect to find in a professional research facility. Students work with scanning electron microscopes, FTIR infrared spectroscopy machines, NMR equipment, PCR machines, high-spec centrifuges and the impressive Anatomage table – a cutting-edge digital anatomy system.
Tutor Paul Thornton is clear about why this matters:
“We want them to be not afraid to have a go with the machines – and certainly be aware of the possibilities they get to play with.”
Justinas Davis made a bold career switch from music education to science and has found her confidence growing week by week.
“Definitely the practicals,” she says of her highlights. “I like the biology side of it. I’d like to work in a lab – and definitely the microscopy.”
The course is already opening doors for others too. Caitlyn Taylor-King, 22, is heading to ULan in September to study Biomedical Science, having used the Certificate to strengthen her UCAS application.
“I’m hoping it gives me more knowledge about biology and how it could get me further in education or a better job, with a longer-term goal of working in NHS pathology.
The course already works with employers including DePuy and Victrex, who have helped shape the curriculum by sharing what they need from the next generation of science professionals. A key theme? Critical thinking.
Paul explains that employers consistently tell him they need people who aren’t afraid to make mistakes and who can think beyond a prescribed result – skills the course actively builds through open-ended project work like the current Stanley Park water quality investigation.
But the ambition is to go further. The course is actively seeking employers who want to co-create curriculum, provide guest speakers and offer placements. For businesses, the opportunity is significant: access to motivated, practically trained students who are open about their career direction and ready to be inspired.
As Justinas puts it:
“It’s all about the practical side, so we don’t finish the course and go to a new job not knowing what we actually do. Employers being more specific about what they want and what they do – that could really help.”
Caitlyn agrees:
“I think it’s just having an insight into the real world of what that job is actually like – because you might want to pursue that career, but when someone comes in and speaks about it, you think, oh, this is not for me. At least you’ve got that idea and you can think about other paths.”
Whether you’re looking to progress to degree level, change careers, or want to study science without putting your working life on hold, the Certificate of Higher Education in Applied Science at B&FC offers a flexible, supportive and genuinely exciting route forward. One day a week in college, hands-on practicals, industry-linked content and a team of expert tutors who know your name. The science starts here.
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