WORLD-CLASS EXPERTISE

Lancaster & Morecambe is a knowledge driven city with one of the most highly skilled workforces in the country. The city's academic community continues to develop its research and commercial skills and forge partnerships with business - locally, nationally and internationally - to create lasting impact.

• Lancaster University has more than 9,000 students and has won international recognition for the quality of its teaching and research. Ranked as one of the UK's twelve leading research universities, it has a world class leadership centre and six-star business school.
• 9% of jobs in the city are directly provided by the higher education sector and students account for 9.8% of the city population - almost double the national average of 5.1%.
• Lancaster University's world class centres of excellence in ICT (InfoLab21) and environmental technology (Lancaster Environment Centre) provide access to some of the best research facilities in the world and well developed business partnerships.
• Lancaster University's Enterprise & Commercialisation Division helps businesses tap into the University's vast learning resources and promotes technology transfer.
• More than 32% of the population is educated to NVQ level 4 (degree or equivalent) - higher than all UK benchmark areas apart from Canterbury, York and Exeter. Its skill profile growth of 3.3% is the fastest growing, apart from Exeter.
• 60% of secondary school leavers in 2004 achieved an average of 5 GCSEs A-C, well in excess of the England average of 54%.
• The University of Cumbria, formerly St Martin's College is number one in the UK for graduate level employment, according to the 2004 Sunday Times Good
  University Guide.