TEC Partnership delighted to be awarded indefinite Degree Awarding Powers

The TEC Partnership is delighted to announce a landmark achievement: the grant of indefinite Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs) by the Office for Students (OfS). This prestigious order empowers the Partnership to design, validate, and award its own degrees indefinitely, solidifying its position as a regional powerhouse for higher education.

This places the TEC Partnership in an elite group, as only three out of 217 colleges in England hold these full powers. The TEC Partnership is the first college in the region to be granted this indefinite status for Bachelor Degree Awarding Powers, marking a new chapter for higher education in the area.

Beyond its own curriculum, this order enables the TEC Partnership to collaborate with other institutions, conferring foundation and full degrees. This means other institutions can now develop higher education courses tailored to their communities and benefit from the recognised educational standards and processes of the TEC Partnership.

Ann Hardy, Chief Executive of the TEC Partnership, expressed her delight:

“This is a proud moment for our entire community. It confirms that you don’t have to leave the region to get a high-quality, life-changing degree. TEC Partnership is here to provide local students employer-aligned higher education for generations to come.

“For employers we are now able to design, develop and bring to market quickly degrees which meet their exact needs, this could, for example, be for one employer or for a sector. The ability to collaborate and innovate around higher education and skills will support their long-term workforce planning.

“I am pleased that are now also able to support other institutions to develop their own higher education courses, so they too can benefit from offering high-quality degrees in their communities”.

The indefinite DAPs allow the Partnership to have complete control over its curriculum, ensuring every course is finely tuned to the needs of local and regional industries. By fostering strong partnerships with employers, the TEC Partnership ensures its degrees are not just qualifications on paper but a true launchpad for successful careers.

Nathan Michael, Chief Education and Training Officer, highlighted the impact on students:

“This new power allows us to enhance the supportive learning environment our students already benefit from. It gives us the flexibility to innovate and respond directly to the ever-changing demands of the job market. This is about providing an education that empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and drives forward our region’s economic growth.”

The OfS’s decision follows a rigorous assessment process that recognised the exceptional quality of the Partnership’s teaching, academic governance, student support, and industry engagement. This is further supported by the TEC Partnership’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Silver judgement overall and a Gold judgement for student experience.