Employment at universities

Universities have a range of different sites and in some cases these are in different counties. The figures provide accurate numbers of employees by institution, but not all the above employees, especially in the case of the University of Cumbria, are be based in Lancashire.    

The vast majority of University of Central Lancashire employees are in Preston, but the institution has an important presence at centres in Burnley and outside the county in Cumbria.  

Edge Hill is a former college of higher education. The main campus is in Ormskirk but there are also outreach centres across the North West and beyond therefore some of the employees will not be based in Lancashire. Lancaster University appears to be solely located at a large campus to the south of the town. The University of Cumbria is an institution with its main base outside the county, but an important site is the Lancaster campus.    

University employment in Lancashire, 2012/13-2014/15 (headcount) 

Academic institution	2012/13			2013/14			2014/15
	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)	Academic	Non-academic	Atypical (1)
University of Central Lancashire	1,280	1,335	230	1,405	1,305	0	1,380	1,325	10
Edge Hill University	880	835	830	875	860	940	1,000	870	1,025
Lancaster University	1,440	1,490	225	1,650	1,545	245	1,735	1,640	165
University of Cumbria (numbers include Lancaster campus)	410	715	525	390	680	215	420	680	220
United Kingdom	185,585	196,935	74,075	194,245	201,535	75,040	198,335	205,500	75,560

Source  Higher Education Statistics Agency

(1) Atypical employees cover non-permanent staff employed on one-off/short-term contracts, and those with complex working relationships.  

In addition to the four universities, there are examples of local academic institutions in the county that work in partnership with the universities in Lancashire, or those in other parts of the country, to offer degree level courses. One distinct example is the University College of Football Business (UCFB) at Turf Moor, Burnley. UCFB allows students to study for an undergraduate degree in football business within the heart of a professional football club. The courses are provided in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University.

Page updated February 2016