University College Isle of Man is focused on providing courses that are beneficial both for its students and the island’s economy, its senior leaders have said.
Speaking at a Youth Committee, Vice Principal Jo Richardson and Higher Education Manager Gail Corrin detailed the college’s strategic approach
Ms Corrin said: “We’re looking to have a suite of courses that year in year out, attract good students and meet the needs of the students and also the island’s economy.
“It’s not about having hundreds of choices. It’s about having good choices.”
Social Sciences
A key initiative is the new Applied Social Sciences degree, designed to retain students.
“A lot of students leave the island to study psychology,” Ms Corrin explained. “We decided we would go for Applied Social Sciences, which has the three core social sciences, psychology, sociology and criminology.”
Work placements are also central to the curriculum which UCM is offering students.
“With all our degree courses, there is a compulsory module in their second year which involves them being out on placement for about 200 hours,” Ms Corrin stated. New Master’s degrees also include three-month placements.
For all students, the college ensures real-world exposure. “We have a pact at UCM that every single full time student has the opportunity to have at least three encounters with the world of work,” added Ms Richardson.