How The Manchester College Uses Data to Support Evidence-led Curriculum Planning
Valerie Watson
Research Officer
The Manchester College
As Research Officer for The Manchester College, Valerie helps the college turn learner and provider data into insight that can support curriculum planning and strategic decision-making. These insights give senior leaders, heads of department and curriculum leaders a clearer view of how demand is changing across different areas, study levels and provider types.
A key way Valerie does this is by producing market share reports, primarily focused on the 16-18 learner market. Drawing on Vector data, these reports bring together evidence on where learners are, what they are studying, and how the college performs within the wider provider landscape. This gives teams a consistent evidence base for looking at:
- Market share
- Learner number trends
- Levels of study
- Subject popularity
The Planning Challenge
One of the key challenges for the college is understanding whether its curriculum offer is aligned with learner demand across its campus catchment areas. This is particularly important when looking at the 16-18 market, where curriculum leaders need to understand not only overall demand, but also demand by level, subject and local area.
Valerie Watson, Research Officer, The Manchester College:
“Being able to look at learner numbers by ward has been really useful and gives us a much clearer view of local demand. Vector provides the specific, granular evidence we need to support curriculum conversations with lecturers, instead of relying on broad assumptions”
These insights support Valerie to identify discrepancies between:
- Where the local population is growing
- Where learners are located
- How current recruitment and provision compare with that demand
Turning Local Intelligence into Curriculum Decisions
For The Manchester College, Vector provides market intelligence that supports more confident, evidence-led decision-making by helping teams understand learner demand at a local level.
A clear example of Vector’s value came when the college explored learner demand around one of its campuses. Using detailed ward-level data, colleagues were able to see exactly how many learners lived in the local area, what they were studying and where they were choosing to learn. This evidence challenged existing perceptions about local demand and revealed stronger demand for Level 3 provision than anticipated.
By providing a clear, data-driven view of the market, Vector helped the college to:
- Test assumptions
- Identify opportunities for growth
- Consider how the curriculum could be strengthened and repositioned to better meet learner demand