The Impact of Establishing the University Centre Oldham on the Development of the Oldham

Abstract

Branding is key to organisational success. Effective branding helps create appropriate product or service associations which enhance the profile of an organisation and its products. The University Centre Oldham is part of the University of Huddersfield which was established in Oldham in August of 2005 to takeover the Higher Education provision in the Oldham borough. Prior to this development the provision of Higher Education in Oldham was a makeshift arrangement of the Oldham College in conjunction with the Oldham Council and the Oldham Sixth Form College. These three institutions do not have degree awarding powers nor are they Higher Education providers. The result of this scenario was an array of validation arrangements with a multitude of degree and diploma awarding institutions. This was a complex situation which was very difficult to implement. This study concluded that the establishment of the university in the borough has created new hope in skills development, investment attraction and above all infrastructural development. The impact on the branding of Oldham is significant and it augurs well for the future. This development mirrors renowned university cities and towns where the establishment of a university has been the driver for development. The University of Huddersfield has made a significant difference in the town of Huddersfield and following on from the same experience in an economically depressed area the concept of “Towns like us†by which the strategy to establish the two university centre of Barnsley and Oldham were created is already starting to make a significant difference in Oldham just like the University of Huddersfield did in the town of Huddersfield.