Leeds Beckett University has joined forces with a local further education group to help boost student numbers and improve links into local businesses.
The institution announced a “strategic alliance” with the Luminate Education Group on 6 July.
Combining efforts in areas such as schools outreach within the local region will “widen aspiration and encourage people to make the right choices”, whether that is studying at the university or at one of the group’s colleges, according to Leeds Beckett vice-chancellor Peter Slee.
This is particularly true at a time when universities across the sector are battling a serious downturn in international student numbers – with Leeds Beckett therefore increasingly keen to appeal to local applicants.
“It’s been clear to us since Covid that the majority of our students are increasingly local; the cost of higher education isn’t easy for many families,” Slee told Times Higher Education.
