SKILLS

SECTOR FOCUS THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE REGION’S LEADING SECTOR

Top online education provider aims to be Plymouth’s next University

Professor John Chudley discusses MLA College’s ambitions to become the first privately-owned University in Plymouth, and the whole of the South West.

MLA College, the distance learning provider, is located in The Merchant on St Andrew Street, and was established in 2012 to provide higher education qualifications by distance learning to the marine and maritime industry.

Initially located within the University of Plymouth they have since become registered as a Higher Education Institution in England and have made strides to achieving their own degree awarding powers.

Professor John Chudley, who has been Rector of MLA College since 2019 and has been instrumental in the growth of the College, said: “MLA College, although not known by many in the city, has been delivering degrees awarded by the University of Plymouth for ten years. During this time our student numbers have increased significantly, and we have expanded our degree markets.

“We have developed good partnerships with international corporations, such as the United Nations, the Hong-Kong Marine Department and an overseas navy to deliver embedded degrees within officer training.

“In 2021 we were successful in registering with the Office for Students as an approved Higher Education Institution in England – this is a huge achievement for the College and one that will put us in good stead in achieving our own degree awarding powers and University status.”

Offering undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes MLA College’s award-winning Total Learning Package (TLP) enables students to pursue education from anywhere in the world (on or offline) whilst still holding down a full-time job.

The flexible approach of distance-learning, which MLA College were successfully delivering ahead of the recent changes to traditional education enforced by the COVID Pandemic, gives students the ability to control when and how they study. With all lectures available through the TLP there is no need to be available or attend live lectures. With hundreds of seafarers across the globe studying with MLA College, this has been a determining factor when choosing their education provider.

Making education accessible to the working professional is paramount for MLA College, being able to study whilst away at sea, and fitting study around other life or family commitments is what sets the College apart from other institutions. In 2022 they were listed in the Top 10 Global Most Prominent Online Institutions by the Higher Education Digest. “MLA College delivers education beyond borders for working professionals that are not able to gain Higher Education qualifications by attending lectures in person, or at time zones that are not convenient to them.” John said. “Our delivery model really puts students at the heart and makes learning accessible in a way that supports individuals in their careers and continues with their professional development.”

Historically they have offered degrees, awarded by the University of Plymouth, in sustainable maritime operations, meteorology, oceanography, hydrography, navigation and engineering for Marine Professionals.

As the College has grown, they have entered more industry markets with students now able to study a Master’s in Business Administration (by Research project) in a variety of subjects including Maritime Operations, Capital Markets and Finance, Marketing, Financial Technology (FinTech) and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

They have also recently launched a series of programmes in sustainability which gives focus to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). September 2022 saw the first cohort of students enrolling onto the MSc Sustainability in Practice (by Research Project) which will see managers and leaders in charge of business or community sustainability undertake a 12-month research project to identify challenges and implement sustainable change.

The next year will also see the launch of the BSc (Hons) and MSc Global Sustainable Development programmes to help people across all industries start or progress in their sustainability careers.

Sustainability is a big focus for MLA College as they move towards their ambitious growth plans, and this has provided the foundations for the creation of CIFAL City of London; the UK’s only International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders established by UNITAR, BAU Global and MLA College, established in June 2022.

The mission of CIFAL City of London is to advance and enhance capacity in support of the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN General Assembly as a roadmap for the future of the world. The CIFAL City of London will specialise in sustainable transportation, focusing on training for the maritime sector.

Professor Basak Akdemir, Director of CIFAL City of London, and CEO of MLA College said: “MLA College is the approved Academic Partner for CIFAL City of London, which is a huge honour. Working closely with the United Nations in support of their Sustainability Agenda puts the UK, MLA College and Plymouth on the global sustainability map.”