BLACKBURN College is to increase the number of new-style degrees it offers following a government pledge to increase courses by five times within three years.

The East Lancashire Institute of Higher Education, based at Blackburn College, will offer 18 foundation degree courses by January.

And education chiefs today vowed they would keep the institute at the forefront of higher education for East Lancashire students.

In the North West, 1,300 new foundation degree places have been announced, thanks to £750,000 of extra Government cash - of which around 220 will be at Blackburn College's Higher Education Institute.

The move is part of a pledge by the government to create 50,000 full-time foundation degree places by 2005/6 - up from 9,500 in 2002/3.

Steven Wright, head of science and technology at the East Lancashire Institute of Higher Education, said: "We were the first college in the region to deliver foundation degrees and we want to keep ourselves at the forefront of developments.

"We are really enthusiastic about these courses which are proving to be very popular indeed. They are not only flexible but are designed to meet the needs of the employers as well as students."

While Blackburn offers most foundation degree courses for East Lancashire students, a course in construction is also available at Burnley College. Preston and Bolton also offer courses in textiles and forensic science.

The pledge to increase the number of foundation degree places was announced by Alan Johnson, the minister for lifelong learning, further and higher education.

He said the degree programmes would cover sectors such as information technology, e-commerce and e-business, design, engineering, and creative industries. Other disciplines include law, finance, and construction.

Speaking at an event called Foundation Degrees - Meeting the need for higher level skills, Mr Johnson, said: "We have made very clear that higher education expansion does not mean more of the same.

"We need expansion to reflect the needs of the economy and the economy is telling us it needs more graduates with specific skills at particular level."

The first Foundation Degree courses started in Autumn 2001 with a second intake early in 2002 when there were 12 courses on offer at Blackburn.

Unlike traditional honours degrees, the courses are designed in conjunction with employers to meet skills shortages.

The two most popular foundation degrees at Blackburn College are computing, and teaching and learning support in primary school.