New Eden Project Study Programme launched

Lancaster & Morecambe College and the Eden Project have launched a new Eden study programme as part of a suite of new educational developments in the Morecambe area.

The new programme is the first fruit of a partnership that has seen the College sign a 25-year memorandum of understanding with Eden’s further and higher education wing, Eden Project Learning.

The Eden Project Study Programme will begin this September at the College.

The programme will be run over three tiers. The first level course is a City & Guilds Land-Based Diploma which includes an introduction to wildlife conservation, effective working practice and animal husbandry and welfare. In addition, levels two and three build upon this foundation with subjects including ecological concepts, ecology conservation and land-based specialist project management.

The level three course is equivalent to three A-levels and holds UCAS university entry points.

As well as the core qualifications, students will study English and maths as well as an “Eden Behaviours” module, which will introduce them to the Eden Project’s educational philosophy. They will also get an industry placement at the Eden Project in Cornwall or an agreed alternative employer.

The Eden Project Study Programme is the first part of what the College and Eden hope will become a “Morecambe Bay Curriculum” - a unique educational programme for students between the ages of three and 25.

The curriculum will be formulated in collaboration with other local education partners and will focus on the unique natural environment of Morecambe Bay.

A new Eden Project Learning Hub will be established at the College for community engagement events and workshops and exhibitions about Eden Project North.

LMC Principal Wes Johnson and Professor Robert Barratt, Head of Eden Project Learning

Other elements of the collaboration will include residential study tours to the Eden Project in Cornwall, work experience opportunities and community social action projects.

Research opportunities and future curriculum development will also form a key joint activity with wider partners to meet current and future workforce requirements, in line with the emerging local industrial strategy.

The entire programme will be designed to complement the proposed Eden Project North development in Morecambe, with students given the skills that a future Eden workforce in the town will need.

Professor Robert Barratt, Head of Eden Project Learning, said: “Eden Project Learning is incredibly excited to be partnering with Lancaster & Morecambe College who are committed to protecting the environment of the Bay and in so doing improving the health and well-being of their community.

“Together we are shaping a new and exciting Morecambe Bay curriculum that will help us find sustainable ways to live and work on our planet.”

Wes Johnson, Principal of Lancaster & Morecambe College, said: “I am delighted that we have achieved this important milestone so quickly. This initiative mirrors the College’s renewed approach to driving the skills required for incoming investment into our area, led by our large and small local current and future employers.

“This initiative should provide new opportunities for adults and young people in our community, raising aspiration and the economic wellbeing of our district.”

Eden Project Learning is based in Cornwall and is a partnership between the Eden Project and Cornwall College. The degree portfolio is validated by the University of Plymouth, Falmouth University and Anglia Ruskin University.

Phil LeGrice, Director of Land-Based Education at the Cornwall College Group, said: “Eden Project Learning embodies the importance and spirit of education to the Eden Project. Eden Project North once again demonstrates the critical nature of education and skills to regeneration.”

People interested in joining the Eden Project Study Programme can apply for the courses now.