Oldham College, is a

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

college based in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, England.

History

Oldham College was established in 1893 after a donation from the Platt family, a famous textile machinery manufacturer. This led to the institution of the School of Art and Science in the town centre. It was situated on the junction of Ashcroft St. and the former Chapel St., the site is now occupied by the Town Square Shopping Centre.

Present day

Oldham College was inspected by OFSTED in 2019 and was rated good in all areas. Oldham College offer a range of courses, including vocational courses, T Levels, Apprenticeships, adult courses and university courses. Around £45 million has been invested in upgrading or completely replacing facilities since 2012. In 2021, the latest new building – a £9m Construction Centre – was completed alongside the addition of a new £9m Health and Life Sciences Centre. Other recent changes include new simulation suites which mirror a real-life clinical hospital ward, nursery and care home.

Notable alumni

Suranne Jones Sarah Anne Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence as Karen McDonald in ''Coronation Street'' between 2000 to 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered h ...

– actress ('' Scott & Bailey'') * Sarah Lancashire – actress (''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'') *

Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...

– actress ('' Little Voice'' and ''

Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (also known as ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch, "Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saund ...

'') * Paul S. Walsh – CEO of Diageo plc *

Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...

– singer (

Hear'Say Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV reality TV show '' Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international '' Popstars'' franchise. The group, who were signed to Polydor Records, originally ...

) * Kelly Llorenna – singer *

Danielle Nicholls Danielle Audrey Nicholls is an English television presenter, radio host, model and singer best known for her presenting of CITV from 1998 to 2001, and Night Fever on Channel 5. She hosts and games on a Twitch channel, BiigNoobs, with her young ...

– television presenter *

Matt Healy David James "Matt" Healy (born 16 July 1970) is an English actor born in Scotland. He is best known for his roles as Matthew King in ''Emmerdale'' from 2004 to 2008 and in ''The Bill'' as Alan Morton. Background When he was three years old ...

– actor (''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...

'') * Steve Diggle – musician (

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the indepen ...

) *

Anthony Flanagan Anthony Flanagan (born 11 April 1972) is an English actor most widely known for his portrayal of policeman Tony in Channel 4's comedy-drama series '' Shameless''. Biography Flanagan was born in Stockport, Cheshire. At school he was called Anth ...

– actor * Samantha Power – actress (''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'' and ''

Ackley Bridge ''Ackley Bridge'' is a British comedy-drama series set in a multicultural academy school of the same name. The series is filmed in Halifax, West Yorkshire and it began broadcasting on Channel 4 on 7 June 2017. In the fourth series, ''Ackley B ...

'') *

Kimberly Hart-Simpson Kimberly Hart-Simpson (born 28 May 1987) is a Welsh actress and businesswoman, known for portraying the role of Nicky Wheatley in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. As well as being the founder of the fashion company Hart-Work, she has ...

– actress and businesswoman (''

'')

References

External links

*http://www.oldham.ac.uk/ (Official Website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham College Buildings and structures in Oldham Educational institutions established in 1893 Education in Oldham Further education colleges in Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Beacons 1893 establishments in England