LIVERPOOL'S two main universities have seen places on courses fill up in record time after students from across the country applied to study in the city through clearing. Education experts and students say Merseyside's dynamic image is attracting so many people that some prospective students have been turned away.


What do u see are the attractions to students wanting to study in Liverpool?

What do u see are the attractions to students wanting to study in Liverpool?
Well, the Ship & Mitre is one bloody good pub! :rolleyes:

Try the Ship & Mitre (http://www.shipandmitre.co.uk/) 'Suitably Irish' - a beautiful pint of stout (5.6% a.b.v.) :)

In fact, try several :D

The Southern students might come here because it's cheaper. Plus so many pubs, clubs, take aways and mini Tesco's everywhere.

Speaking as a former student, I can't really put my finger on what it is about Liverpool. I guess you've got the full mix of a lively city centre when the sun goes down, to plenty of beautiful architecture and culture. The people are some of the friendliest in the world!

I didn't fully appreciate it a few years back when I was a student, but now I've aged(well, matured!) and moved back, I'm starting to take a lot of it on board. (Any recommendations of stuff to see will be gladly received btw?!). Think its also the case for a lot of uni friends, many of whom have either returned to the city, or are looking for a move back at the mo.

Liverpool John Moores University (http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/) (LJMU) is launching a new foundation degree course aimed at workers in Merseyside's booming tourism, leisure and hospitality sector.

Employers will work closely with the university by sending their employees to become better-qualified at their jobs. The new course follows a survey in which many companies stated they needed better-qualified staff, believing 85% had room for potential development.

As Liverpool builds up to the European Capital of Culture in 2008 (http://www.liverpool08.com/), companies within the region's tourism industry are expected to deliver better customer services to capitalise on the expected tourist boom.

Merseyside already receives about 10m visitors per year - worth £1bn to the area's economy - and it is set to increase further still.

Deborah Pownall, lecturer in tourism and leisure at LJMU, said: "By talking to employers, we have been able to design a new degree that will give employees essential skills needed in this growing sector.

"This degree will help employers develop, up-skill and retain their workforce by making them more motivated and flexible. This means reduced staff turnover, fewer skills shortages and a competitive edge in an increasingly aggressive marketplace.

"Higher education is one of the most cost-effective ways to develop your workforce. Both employees and students may qualify for financial aid with reduced tuition fees. But the question is, can your business afford not to invest in its staff in the lead-up to the 2008 celebrations?"

By continuing to work closely with employers, LJMU is aiming to keep the foundation degree relevant to their needs and help develop tourism excellence across the region.

Martin King, director of tourism at The Mersey Partnership (http://www.merseyside.org.uk/), said: "The new foundation degree will allow employers across Merseyside to up-skill their managers and supervisors with an industry-focused qualification. This offers a unique opportunity to address the shortage of qualified people at this level in our industry."

LJMU has linked with other further education colleges, such as Liverpool Community College (http://www.liv-coll.ac.uk/), St Helens College (http://www.sthelens.ac.uk/), Southport College (http://www.southport-college.ac.uk/), Wirral Metropolitan College (http://www.wmc.ac.uk/) and Hugh Baird College (http://www.hughbaird.ac.uk/). This will allow more students to participate as the degree works on more than one level.

A student recruitment officer said: "Depending on how many modules are completed a year, the course can be finished within two years. Students are mainly to work on their degree while working for their employers but it also contains some face-to-face teaching."

The course still has places left. For more information, contact the student recruitment team on 0151 231 3215.