St Helens College

What St Helens College does

St Helens College is a UK Further Education college established in 1896, headquartered in St Helens, Merseyside, England, and operating as a non-profit further and higher education institution rather than a commercial enterprise. The college delivers three principal product lines: College 16+ provision with 95 full-time courses for school leavers aged 16-18 (including T Levels and technical pathways), University Centre St Helens offering 33 higher education programmes (HNCs, HNDs, Foundation Degrees, and full BA/BSc degrees) validated by University of Chester, University of Central Lancashire, and Liverpool John Moores University, and Adult Courses comprising 170 programmes for learners aged 19 and above (including Access to HE, ESOL, English and Maths, and fully online Hybrid Learning pathways).

The institution operates across six specialised campuses in St Helens and Knowsley: Town Centre Campus (the main hub housing University Centre and commercial teaching outlets such as Colours Restaurant), STEM Centre Technology Campus (housing construction, engineering, motor vehicle, animal management, the £1m Centre for Precision Engineering, and Green Energy Skills Centre), IAMTech Campus (construction and engineering workshops), Knowsley Main Campus in Huyton, and the College Nursery. Recent capital investment exceeds £1m in libraries and £1m in the Centre for Precision Engineering. The college's technology stack is conventional for the FE sector — no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed; delivery is primarily in-person with a Hybrid Learning channel for adults.

Revenue is generated through tuition fees for higher education (annual fees £4,250-£8,995, largely funded via Student Finance England loans), Advanced Learner Loans and self-pay for adult courses, apprenticeship training funded via government levy transfers, CITB grants, Knowsley Council grants, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority intermediaries, plus government 16-19 Learner Support Funds and bursaries. GTM motion is multi-channel: open events and school outreach drive top-of-funnel enrolment, direct online applications and UCAS handle bottom-of-funnel conversion, and a dedicated business development function targets employers for apprenticeship hire and bespoke corporate training. The college is privately operated but not publicly traded and is not part of a larger group.

Name

St Helens College

Legal name

St Helens College and University Centre St Helens

Website

https://sthelens.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Short description

St Helens College is a UK Further Education college delivering 16+, adult, and degree-level courses across multiple specialised campuses in St Helens and Knowsley, with degrees validated by partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Further Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diploma-to-Degree / Articulation & Credit-Transfer Pathways (EDAIAJAG)

Keywords

• Further education
• Vocational training
• Apprenticeship programmes
• Higher education
• Adult learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Bidston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Higher Education: Full-time and part-time degree programs (HNCs, HNDs, Foundation Degrees, BA/BSc degrees) charged at annual tuition rates ranging from £4,250 to £8,995 per year depending on the program. Students can apply for tuition fee loans from Student Finance England.
2. Adult Education Fees: Adult learners (aged 19+) pay course fees through Advanced Learner Loans, self-payment, or employer funding. Some courses may be free for eligible learners.
3. Apprenticeship Training: Apprenticeship training funded through government apprenticeship levy transfers, employer contributions, and grants from organizations such as CITB, Knowsley Council, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
4. Government Funding: 16-19 Learner Support Funds, bursaries, and other government-funded financial support for eligible students covering travel, meals, equipment, and childcare.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

St Helens College is a UK Further Education college delivering academic, vocational, apprenticeship, and higher education courses to learners aged 16 and above across multiple campuses in St Helens and Knowsley. It offers progression routes for 16-18 year-olds (including A-Levels and vocational pathways), adult learning programmes, employer-led apprenticeships, and degree-level qualifications awarded through university partnerships.

Product overview

St Helens College is a further and higher education institution offering a diverse portfolio of educational products and services across multiple delivery modes. The college operates as a unified institution with several core divisions: College 16+ (95 full-time courses for students aged 16+), University Centre St Helens (33 higher education programmes including Foundation Degrees, BA/BSc degrees, HNCs, and HNDs), Adult Courses (170 courses for learners aged 19+ including Access to HE, hybrid learning, and vocational qualifications), and Apprenticeships (employment-based training programmes). The college operates across six campuses including Town Centre Campus, STEM Centre Technology Campus, Green Energy Skills Centre, IAMTech Campus, and Knowsley Main Campus. Additional services include inclusive learning, T Levels, and hybrid learning options. The institution partners with University of Lancashire, University of Chester, and Liverpool John Moores University for degree validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 16-18 Study Programmes

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates have gained employment with Jay Chemicals, Thermo Fisher Scientific, United Utilities and Precision Northwest (Microbiology program)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of ChestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Chester validates degree programs offered at University Centre St Helens including the FdSc Applied Microbiology. Degrees are awarded by the university upon completion.
• University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLan validates multiple Foundation Degrees and other programs at University Centre St Helens. Students graduate with UCLan qualifications. The PGCE and Certificate in Education are also validated by UCLan.
• Liverpool John Moores UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiverpool John Moores University is listed as a university partner validating degree programs at University Centre St Helens.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hugh Baird College: FE college in Bootle, Merseyside offering similar vocational, technical, and apprenticeship programmes across multiple campuses in the same Liverpool City Region catchment as St Helens College.
• Southport College: FE college in Southport, Merseyside delivering vocational, technical, and apprenticeship programmes — directly overlaps St Helens's catchment and curriculum, particularly in technical and trades pathways.
• Riverside College (Halton): FE college in Widnes/Runcorn (Halton) providing vocational, technical, and apprenticeship training to a neighbouring catchment to St Helens with comparable scale and curriculum mix.
• City of Liverpool College: Large multi-campus FE college in Liverpool offering vocational, technical, HE, and apprenticeship programmes — directly overlapping St Helens's curriculum and employer base in the same region.

Regional players

• Trafford College: FE college in Greater Manchester offering vocational, technical, and apprenticeship programmes across multiple campuses — a North West peer with similar curriculum and employer-engagement model.
• Myerscough College: Lancashire-based FE college specialising in land-based industries, with vocational, technical, apprenticeship, and HE programmes — overlap with St Helens's STEM/apprenticeship portfolio and UK FE delivery model.
• Blackpool and The Fylde College: FE college on the Lancashire coast delivering vocational, technical, apprenticeship, and HE programmes across multiple campuses — comparable scale and curriculum focus to St Helens.
• Bolton College: Greater Manchester FE college offering vocational, technical, apprenticeship, and HE programmes across multiple campuses — comparable in scale and curriculum mix to St Helens within the North West FE market.
• Warrington & Vale Royal College: FE college in Cheshire operating multi-campus vocational, technical, and HE programmes — comparable to St Helens in scale, curriculum breadth, and apprenticeship delivery in the wider North West region.

Broad incumbents

• Chesterfield College: Mid-sized FE college in the East Midlands offering vocational, technical, apprenticeship, and HE programmes — comparable scale, curriculum breadth, and validated-degree model via university partnerships, though in a different region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sthelenscollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/sthelenscollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/sthelenscollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-helens-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/sthelenscollege
• TikToktiktok.com/@sthelensknowsleycollege

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Helens College