Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies
Encyclopedia
University College Birmingham, is a university college
in Birmingham
, England
. It is an affiliated university college of the University of Birmingham
and as such all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees studied at University College Birmingham are awarded by the University of Birmingham
.
The college is located in central Birmingham and offers both vocational education and academic education (both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
). The university college specialises in the areas of hospitality
and the culinary arts, hairdressing and beauty, tourism
, business enterprise
, marketing
, business management, accounting, finance
, events management
, sports management, sports medicine
, sports therapy
and Early Years education
.
in 1957. It moved to its present site in Summer Row in 1968 and was renamed Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies (BCFTCS) in the 1980s to reflect the breadth of courses it by then offered. Its name was changed again, to University College Birmingham (UCB), in 2007.
As part of a general re-organisation of further education
in the United Kingdom
, the college became independent of council control on April 1, 1993. Continued expansion led to the college being re-classified as part of the higher education
sector from August 1, 2002, although it continues to offer further education
courses as well. Its degrees are awarded by the University of Birmingham
.
The college opened a second teaching building in 2001 at Richmond House, in nearby Newhall Street
which houses its hairdressing and beauty salons and sports therapy suites, both of which are open to the public. Further Education courses in sport
and tourism
are also taught there. In 2008, UCB opened its new multi-million pound Postgraduate Centre at George Street - a dedicated teaching and research facility for its postgraduate students.
In addition, the college has Halls of Residence, with space for 872 students, at The Maltings and Cambrian Hall, which are both situated just off Broad Street
, the main entertainment district in the city. The new development at The Maltings also includes a sports hall, shop and student bar.
Currently the college has 13,970 students in total, including 440 postgraduates, 3,195 undergraduates and 10,335 further education
students, around 10% of whom are from outside the United Kingdom. UCB was rated as 'outstanding' by OFSTED
in 2009. It is also one of the few universities or colleges in the UK with Hospitality Assured status. It also currently holds the Beacon Status, Catey Education and Training Award, Investors in People, Charter Mark and the Matrix award.
The college was granted the right to award its own degrees by the Privy Council
in November 2007, giving it the status of a university college
. In January 2008 this was reflected when it was renamed University College Birmingham.
The college has a range of specialist facilities including training restaurants, a fully equipped health
and leisure
club, libraries
, hairdressing and beauty therapy salons, food and beverage test laboratories, a video production suite, demonstration theatres and computer suites including a facility for Early Years students.
The Student Services Unit exists to provide a range of services including the day-to-day operation of two halls of residence, career advice and guidance from the Careers and Employability Centre, the administration of Learner (Access) Support Fund, advice and support with finding and funding childcare
, full-time counselling and nursing
services and academic support for students from their Learning and Skills Development Centre. The Unit runs an accommodation database for students who wish to live in the private sector and provides guidance and administrative support to international students in areas such as visa
applications.
The Learning and Skills Development Centre co-ordinates support for students with additional needs. The Centre is able to liaise with external agencies including Local Education Authorities on behalf of the student. It can also carry out an initial assessment for dyslexia
and will refer students to an Educational Psychologist
if necessary.
, and many degree-level courses give the option of a 48-week paid placement, which takes place approximately halfway through the course. The type of organisation reflects the interests of the student as well as the requirements of the programme being studied - for example, hospitality
students may choose to work in hotels, restaurants, country clubs, theme parks, conference and exhibition venues, leisure centre
s, all-inclusive resorts, or in contract and retail caterers
.
Many students undertake their placement in the UK, but there are also many opportunities available each year elsewhere in Europe
, as well as the USA and Canada
. Typically, students work in a number of departments to gain first-hand experience of different parts of the operation.
The Student Guild participates in a variety of sporting activities such as cricket
, football
, rugby union
, hockey
, basketball
, netball
and Jitsu
with teams competing against rival universities in the British Universities Sports Association
leagues in the Midlands
area. The Guild also promotes a number of weekly social activities and yearly events such as the Summer Ball, Christmas
and New Year's Eve
parties and a charity week.
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is an affiliated university college of the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
and as such all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees studied at University College Birmingham are awarded by the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
The college is located in central Birmingham and offers both vocational education and academic education (both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
). The university college specialises in the areas of hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
and the culinary arts, hairdressing and beauty, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, business enterprise
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, business management, accounting, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, events management
Event management
Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of festivals, events and conferences.Event management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the...
, sports management, sports medicine
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
, sports therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
and Early Years education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
History
The college was originally founded as part of Birmingham's Municipal Technical School in the 19th century, but became a separate College of Bakery, Catering, Domestic Science and Associated Studies (later Birmingham College of Food and Domestic Arts) under the control of Birmingham City CouncilBirmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
in 1957. It moved to its present site in Summer Row in 1968 and was renamed Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies (BCFTCS) in the 1980s to reflect the breadth of courses it by then offered. Its name was changed again, to University College Birmingham (UCB), in 2007.
As part of a general re-organisation of further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the college became independent of council control on April 1, 1993. Continued expansion led to the college being re-classified as part of the higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
sector from August 1, 2002, although it continues to offer further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
courses as well. Its degrees are awarded by the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
The college opened a second teaching building in 2001 at Richmond House, in nearby Newhall Street
Newhall Street
Newhall Street is a street located in Birmingham, England.Newhall Street stretches from Colmore Row in the city centre by St Phillip's Cathedral in a north-westerly direction towards the Jewellery Quarter. Originally the road was the driveway to New Hall occupied by the Colmore family...
which houses its hairdressing and beauty salons and sports therapy suites, both of which are open to the public. Further Education courses in sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
are also taught there. In 2008, UCB opened its new multi-million pound Postgraduate Centre at George Street - a dedicated teaching and research facility for its postgraduate students.
Broad Street, Birmingham
Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
, the main entertainment district in the city. The new development at The Maltings also includes a sports hall, shop and student bar.
Currently the college has 13,970 students in total, including 440 postgraduates, 3,195 undergraduates and 10,335 further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
students, around 10% of whom are from outside the United Kingdom. UCB was rated as 'outstanding' by OFSTED
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
in 2009. It is also one of the few universities or colleges in the UK with Hospitality Assured status. It also currently holds the Beacon Status, Catey Education and Training Award, Investors in People, Charter Mark and the Matrix award.
The college was granted the right to award its own degrees by the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in November 2007, giving it the status of a university college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
. In January 2008 this was reflected when it was renamed University College Birmingham.
Student facilities
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
club, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, hairdressing and beauty therapy salons, food and beverage test laboratories, a video production suite, demonstration theatres and computer suites including a facility for Early Years students.
The Student Services Unit exists to provide a range of services including the day-to-day operation of two halls of residence, career advice and guidance from the Careers and Employability Centre, the administration of Learner (Access) Support Fund, advice and support with finding and funding childcare
Childcare
Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
, full-time counselling and nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
services and academic support for students from their Learning and Skills Development Centre. The Unit runs an accommodation database for students who wish to live in the private sector and provides guidance and administrative support to international students in areas such as visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
applications.
The Learning and Skills Development Centre co-ordinates support for students with additional needs. The Centre is able to liaise with external agencies including Local Education Authorities on behalf of the student. It can also carry out an initial assessment for dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and will refer students to an Educational Psychologist
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
if necessary.
Industrial placements
All of the college's courses include opportunities to obtain work experienceWork experience
Work experience is the experience that a person has been working, or worked in a specific field or occupation.- Volunteer work and internships :...
, and many degree-level courses give the option of a 48-week paid placement, which takes place approximately halfway through the course. The type of organisation reflects the interests of the student as well as the requirements of the programme being studied - for example, hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
students may choose to work in hotels, restaurants, country clubs, theme parks, conference and exhibition venues, leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
s, all-inclusive resorts, or in contract and retail caterers
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
.
Many students undertake their placement in the UK, but there are also many opportunities available each year elsewhere in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as well as the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Typically, students work in a number of departments to gain first-hand experience of different parts of the operation.
Guild of Students
The Student Guild is run by a team of eight, making up the Student Guild Executive, all elected by other students at the college. The principal aims of the guild are to represent the student body within the college, to provide guidance and advice to students and to organise an ongoing programme of social and sporting activities.The Student Guild participates in a variety of sporting activities such as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
and Jitsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
with teams competing against rival universities in the British Universities Sports Association
Busa
Busa may refer to:*Busa language , a language used in New Guinea*Busa language , a language used in Africa*BUSA, the former British Universities Sports Association, now known as the British Universities & Colleges Sport...
leagues in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
area. The Guild also promotes a number of weekly social activities and yearly events such as the Summer Ball, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
parties and a charity week.