We have a range of careers and personal development support options for students studying at Blackburn College and University Centre.
Careers & Personal Development Centre
Our team of qualified careers advisers can support you with
- Exploring future career and learning pathways
- Developing employability skills and experience
- Applying for opportunities (university, apprenticeships, jobs)
Come and see us in our brand new centre located in The Curve, University Centre.
Careers Support
We want to help you make positive decisions about your future and make progress towards your career goals. Our industry-experienced staff, professional careers advisors and employer links, mean that you can be sure you will gain the skills, experience and support you need to succeed.
Contact the Careers team for further information: careers@blackburn.ac.uk
The Blackburn College Careers Programme
We offer a range of activities and support during your studies to help you on your way to job success in the future. As part of lessons and tutorials, and with support from industry-experienced staff, you will understand and develop the skills that employers want and will have opportunities to engage with employers both in college and in the workplace. You will also have access to high quality, impartial careers education, information, advice & guidance (CEIAG) in The Exchange where we can help you with your progression and career planning.
Our Careers & Employability Offer
Quality assurance of our Careers Programme
We formally review our careers programme every two years, in conjunction with updates to our careers strategy. We also conduct termly Compass (careers benchmark tool) assessments of our progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks with Inspira and undertake annual continuous improvement checks for the Matrix Standard, with 3 year assessments which scrutinise our information, advice and guidance.
Still not sure what you'd like to do or have any questions about the course? Contact our admissions team by email: admissions@blackburn.ac.uk or phone: 01254 292594
Gatsby Benchmarks
We are committed to offering a fun and inspirational Careers Programme which motivates students and aligns with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each student
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Matrix Standard
Blackburn College has been awarded The matrix Standard which is the Department for Education’s (DfE) standard for ensuring the delivery of high-quality information, advice and guidance (IAG).
Lancashire Careers Hub
We are a member of the Lancashire Careers Hub, collaborating with a range of partners to help improve careers outcomes for the young people of Lancashire.
Labour Market Information
In addition to working directly with local employers, we also work closely with the following partners, to access high-quality information and opportunities linked to the local labour market -
- Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub
- Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
This helps to shape our curriculum and ensure students develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours to help them successfully enter the workplace after their studies.
All students can also access up-to-date Labour Market Information, through The Exchange Online, our 24:7 information portal. Click here to access.
Targeted Careers Support for SEND
For anyone with special needs or disabilities, accessing high-quality advice at the earliest possible stage, is really important to making the most of your options. Knowing what those options are and understanding what support can be put in place, is crucial in helping you to make decisions about the future. Our specialist SEND Careers Adviser will support you through this process and will get in touch, early in your studies, to help you make a start with your progression and career planning.
We also recognise that transition into College for young people with SEND can be a particularly worrying time, so we can help facilitate a smooth process by working with young people, their families, schools and other agencies. Our SEND Transitions and IAG co-ordinators, offer expert professional help and advice and are able to attend school reviews from Year 9 onwards to ensure that the transition into college runs smoothly.
Working with Parents & Employers
We have dedicated information pages on our website which detail how we work with parents and employers to ensure our students receive the best possible careers support whilst on their study programmes.
Please click on the links below to be redirected to the appropriate page –
Information for Parents and Carers
Get advice before coming to College
If you are interested in coming to college and are unsure about what you want to do or would like more information about your options, come along to an Open Event and speak to a range of experts by following the link below.
Contact our Careers Lead
The Careers Lead for the College is Kieran O'Connell, Head of Student Services. Please contact: kieran.o'connell@blackburn.ac.uk or call 01254 292929.
