400 students celebrated their achievements in beautiful Graduation Ceremony

University Centre Blackburn College (UCBC) has celebrated the graduations of the Class of 2023 with over 400 students.

Students from across 49 of UCBC’s degree courses donned their caps and gowns and gathered at Blackburn’s King George’s Hall over two ceremonies on Tuesday 17 October to receive their foundation degrees, bachelor’s degrees, masters, Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNCs and HNDs), professional qualifications and postgraduate degrees.

The ceremonies were live-streamed and attended by (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education at Lancaster University, Professor Wendy Robinson, Director FE Partnerships and Degree Apprenticeships at the University of South Wales, Dr Francis Cowe, Pro Vice-Chancellor Students and Teaching at the University of Central Lancashire, Professor Andrew Ireland, the Deputy Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Councillor Sylvia Liddle along with the Principal and Chief Executive of Blackburn College, Dr Fazal Dad) who congratulated this year’s class and wished them every success for their futures.

Graduates were then led by drummers in procession across campus to the ceremony, before joining an afterparty with their friends, family, and college staff held in the Pavilion at Blackburn Sixth Form.

Degrees at UCBC are supported by its university partners, Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and the University of South Wales. 

Dr Fazal Dad, Principal and Chief Executive at Blackburn College said:

“Graduation is a special day that always fills me with immense pride. It’s both a pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity to personally congratulate each student for achieving a Higher Education qualification with us. It is a culmination of all the hard work and dedication both our students and staff have put in to achieve their results, and a day for real celebration.

 “I would like to congratulate our graduating class of 2023 for their fantastic achievements and wish them every success for what I am sure will be very positive futures.”

University Centre Blackburn College recently received stellar results in the National Student Survey (NSS), beating regional and national ratings for a range of factors related to their academic experience, including the teaching on their course, assessment, and feedback. It also earned a Silver award for student experience in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023.

Rachael Whittaker, 21, who studied BSc (Hons) Psychology said:

“Studying at University Centre Blackburn College was an unbelievable experience and it is impossible to just pick one moment which stood out as I enjoyed coming in every single day. The group projects were fantastic as everybody on the course was highly motivated and were supported by the tutors to succeed and it has given me a great platform to pursue a Master’s Degree and my goal to eventually enter a career in the Police Service. If I had to describe my experience in three words – They would be exciting, challenging and knowledgeable.”

Steven Staffa, 42, who studied BA (Hons) Business & Management, said: 

“I was overwhelmed with how supportive the staff and my tutors were throughout my experience here (at University Centre Blackburn College). I was already a little nervous about embarking on a BA Honours degree as it had been a massive gap since I was last in full-time education. I then had a car accident just before starting here and I really don’t think I’d be sitting here about to graduate if it wasn’t for my tutors and course mates. The three words I’d use to describe my time here are ‘supportive, encouraging, and valuable.”

Updated Picture Gallery coming soon.