Southport College

What Southport College does

Southport College is a publicly funded further education institution operating from a single town-centre campus on Mornington Road in Southport, Merseyside, England, and is part of the Southport Education Group. It delivers vocational education across three primary channels: full-time courses for 16-18 year-old school leavers (T Levels, Level 3 BTECs and related qualifications), part-time courses for adult learners aged 19+ (professional qualifications, career-change programmes and leisure short courses), and apprenticeships combining workplace training with college study, where it positions itself as one of the leading apprenticeship providers in the Liverpool City Region covering Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral, Liverpool and Halton.

The college's core product surface is supported by a broad portfolio of physical training facilities that double as service businesses open to the public: Concept Salons for hairdressing, barbering and beauty training; Clouds Restaurant for hospitality and fine-dining training; the Clinical Skills Hub with electronic beds and simulation suits for Health and Social Care; industry-standard Technical Workshops spanning bricklaying, electrical, engineering, motor vehicle, painting and decorating, and plumbing and gas; Creative Arts Studios with mac rooms, gallery space, darkroom and specialist software; recently expanded Science Labs supporting Access to Science; a multi-use Sports Hall and College Gym; and SPARK Radio, a student broadcast operation aired on DAB and online. Supporting services include an online Student Portal with travel passes, bursaries and PayMyStudent, plus a Careers Hub for information, advice and guidance.

The business model is predominantly government-funded further education: students aged under 19 are exempt from course fees, with funding flowing through the UK further-education funding regime, while adults pay fees depending on course and eligibility (with fee remission available) and University Centre students typically access the Student Loan system. Ancillary commercial income is generated through public-facing services at Concept Salons, Clouds Restaurant, and customer-facing short adult courses. Distribution is entirely UK-domestic via direct on-campus delivery and an online application portal, with go-to-market executed through Saturday open events, the VIP Welcomefest for incoming September students, active social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), email guidance outreach, and community partnerships such as the Wickes Southport mural initiative. The college holds a stack of sector recognitions including LSIS Beacon, TES Award, QAA Quality Assured, Matrix Quality Standard, Eco Campus Silver, Rainbow Flag Award, Disability Confident Employer, and the Centre of Excellence designation for Construction and Trades.

Name

Southport College

Legal name

Southport College

Website

https://southport.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Southport College is a publicly funded further education college in Southport, Merseyside, delivering vocational courses, apprenticeships and adult learning across the Liverpool City Region. It combines 16-18 full-time provision with part-time adult courses and apprenticeship programmes, supported by training facilities including salons, a restaurant, a clinical skills hub, technical workshops and science labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Further Education and Vocational Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD), Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF), Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Vocational education
• Further education
• Apprenticeship training
• Adult learning
• Technical training

Headquarters

HQ city

Southport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Further Education: Southport College operates as a publicly funded further education institution. Students aged 16-18 are exempt from course fees, funded by the government. Adult learners may pay fees depending on course type and eligibility, with some courses offering fee remission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southport College is a further education college delivering full-time vocational courses for 16-18 year olds, part-time adult learning for those aged 19+, and work-based apprenticeships across sectors including health and social care, construction, hospitality, creative arts and science. Programmes lead to qualifications such as T Levels, BTECs, apprenticeships and Access to Higher Education, delivered on the Mornington Road campus in Southport with simulation workspaces, technical workshops and industry-experienced tutors.

Product overview

Southport College is a Further Education college offering vocational education and training across multiple delivery channels. The core portfolio includes full-time College 16-18 courses for school leavers, Adult Learner 19+ part-time courses for career changers and hobbyists, and Apprenticeships combining work and study. The college operates several training facilities including Concept Salons for beauty and hairdressing, Clouds Restaurant for hospitality training, Clinical Skills Hub for health and social care, Technical Workshops for trade skills, Creative Arts Studios, Science Labs, and Sports Hall and Gym. Additional student services include SPARK Radio, Student Portal access, and Careers Hub support. The college primarily serves the Liverpool City Region including Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral, Liverpool, and Halton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College 16-18 Courses Full-time vocational courses for school leavers aged 16-18, leading to T Levels, Level 3 BTECs and other qualifications to prepare students for university, an apprenticeship or employment in their chosen career, using industry-experienced tutors and simulation workspaces.
• Adult Learner 19+ Courses Part-time and short courses for adults aged 19 and over covering professional qualifications, career retraining, hobby/leisure learning and Access to Higher Education, with some courses free or fee-remission eligible.
• Apprenticeships Work-based learning programmes combining paid employment with study to develop job-specific skills and attain apprenticeship qualifications, delivered in partnership with employers as one of the leading apprenticeship providers in the Liverpool City Region.
• Concept Salons Treatments Beauty, hairdressing and barbering treatments open to the public for male and female clients of all ages, used as a real-world training environment for hairdressing and beauty students.
• Clouds Restaurant Dining Fine dining restaurant open to the public in stylish surroundings with panoramic views of Southport's skyline, used as a real-world training environment for hospitality students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gold Award at Harrogate Flower Show 2026 for floristry
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wickes SouthportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with Wickes Superstore in Southport. L4 Art Foundation student created a community art mural unveiled at the Wickes store as part of a collaborative community engagement initiative.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Riverside College: Riverside College is a further education college based in Widnes, Halton, operating within the Liverpool City Region. It delivers comparable vocational and apprenticeship programmes and competes with Southport College for both student enrolments and apprenticeship employer partnerships across the region.
• St Helens College: St Helens College is a further education institution in St Helens, Merseyside, offering 16-18 programmes, adult learning, and apprenticeships in similar vocational subject areas. It operates in an adjacent local authority within the Liverpool City Region and competes for the same student and employer base.
• The City of Liverpool College: The City of Liverpool College is a large further education college in central Liverpool offering vocational courses, apprenticeships, and adult learning. It is the closest large-scale direct competitor within the Liverpool City Region, serving overlapping student and employer populations.
• Knowsley Community College: Knowsley Community College provides further education and training in Knowsley, part of the Liverpool City Region. It shares a comparable focus on vocational qualifications and apprenticeships targeting similar learner demographics, with overlap in employer engagement across Merseyside.
• Hugh Baird College: Hugh Baird College is a further education college located in Birkdale, Southport - effectively a neighbour of Southport College. It offers a similar portfolio of 16-18 courses, apprenticeships, and adult learning across vocational sectors, competing directly for the same applicant pool in Sefton and the surrounding Merseyside catchment.

Regional players

• Hopwood Hall College: Hopwood Hall College is a further education college in Rochdale and Middleton, Greater Manchester. It provides a comparable FE portfolio including vocational courses and apprenticeships, with similar subject breadth to Southport College.
• Bolton College: Bolton College is a Greater Manchester further education college delivering vocational qualifications, T Levels, apprenticeships, and adult learning. Similar in size and curriculum profile to Southport College, though serving a different geographic catchment.
• Blackpool and The Fylde College: Blackpool and The Fylde College is a further education college on the Lancashire coast with a broadly comparable mix of vocational, apprenticeship, and adult learning programmes. It does not overlap geographically with Southport College but operates a similar FE model in the wider North West region.
• Wigan & Leigh College: Wigan & Leigh College is a further education college in Greater Manchester offering vocational courses, apprenticeships, and adult programmes. Comparable in scale and subject mix to Southport College but operating in a different North West catchment.

Broad incumbents

• The Manchester College: The Manchester College is one of the largest further education providers in the UK, part of the LTE Group. While significantly larger than Southport College, it operates in an overlapping subject mix of vocational, apprenticeship, and adult programmes, making it a relevant scale benchmark in the North West FE market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/southportcoll
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Southportcollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/southportcollege
• Instagraminstagram.com/southportcoll

Compliance11 records

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 Southport College