The HDA aims to equip support workers with the skills, techniques, tools, and knowledge to improve their personal confidence and capability, unlock leadership skills, enhance functional and digital skills, and improve the experiences and outcomes of patients, service users and families.
Working with NHS England, the new, relevant and applicable qualification will boost the adult care sector under the Higher Development Award umbrella. This qualifications is well recognised within the NHS and beyond as it is part of City & Guilds, the foremost provider of management qualifications in the UK.
Courses starting in January and April 2026
For those who are looking to develop their skills to the next steps in their careers, aspirational team leaders, mentors and coaches or those in a supervisory position, this course is a starting point for your journey to becoming the manager and leader you want to be. This qualification is a Vocationally Related Qualification (VRQ) that is aimed at a new or aspiring team leaders to support the development of knowledge and skills in leading teams. By undertaking this qualification, you will be developing your skills in leading a team, achieving team and organisational objectives, and contributing to planning problem solving and decision making. You also have the option of completing your Functional Skills qualification alongside this course.
Email K.Nicholson@lmc.ac.uk for more information or complete the enquiry form below
Our third Higher Development Award cohort have just finished and we are busy getting ready to greet our fourth!
The Higher Development Award is designed to support those working alongside the NHS in and around Lancaster and Morecambe. It offers full funded opportunities to upskill clinical and non-clinical support staff, helping build confidence, leadership, and professional capability. The programme is suitable for people at all stages of their careers.
We have a very knowledgeable and dedicated team from different areas of the animal industry. We offer a range of courses in Animal Studies at different levels to cater for a wide range of students. Practically, you will work with a range of animals on site, spend time in our laboratories and hone your skills further during independent work-related experience. Working with animals can be a fun and rewarding career but it does involve hard graft and dedication!
My favourite part of the role is guiding my students through the more practical aspects of Forensic Science, especially latent fingerprint collection and evidence handling. I enjoy watching them develop their confidence and skills in these techniques
Try to achieve the best grades you can. As a qualified Carpenter or Joiner, you will have the opportunity to work anywhere in the world.
If you are interested in working with animals, this is a great course for you! As not only do you gain the knowledge and practical skills to work with animals, but you also gain the employability skills to be able to work in teams and work within the industry. It's important to remember that jobs in the animal industry are not just about working with animals, you need to have the skills to deal with people too!
I would say that Hospitality & Catering industry isn’t an easy option, but it can be really rewarding and enjoyable if you work hard at it. It also has excellent job prospects at the end of the course, as the majority of our completing students gain full time employment within high class establishments
Be prepared to work hard and be challenged. The more you put in, the more you will get out of the course. It's a rewarding experience as you can clearly see your skills develop. There is also a great demand for skilled plasterers and the potential for good earnings, so why not give it a go?
The most satisfying part of my job role is inspiring students to have the confidence to become beauty therapists and work in their dream careers.
I would say come to College, study Beauty Therapy, be pampered, pamper clients, but be prepared to work hard for the qualifications to get far in the industry. It's a very rewarding career to go into, putting smiles on clients faces and giving them a new found confidence.
Industry specific apprenticeships are a great way to learn new skills and knowledge, achieve a recognised qualification and earn a wage. Customer service is the corner stone of every successful business, and courses at LMC will help you identify, improve and introduce these skills successfully.
The vocational skills development we offer at College are exceptional. The partners we work with are excellent and will help the students to develop further, as well as the opportunities we provide such as the Alicante trip are amazing, and you would struggle to find another college or sixth form that offers similar opportunities.
My favourite part of this role is working with such an amazing team here at Lancaster & Morecambe College, and also being able to pass on my industry knowledge to all my students and support them in their journey to becoming a Beauty Therapist.
In my role as a course tutor I’m responsible for ensuring that my students develop in many areas, and not just Hairdressing. I like to encourage my students to improve their well-being as well as support them with their personal development and learning journey, to gain the knowledge to be successful within their course to achieve the qualifications they need to progress in the industry.
My favourite part of working at Lancaster & Morecambe college is watching students progress and supporting them with their learning. I also love knowing they are learning within a hairdressing environment and being able to see them develop their skills and knowledge in hairdressing.
The course gives people experiences of business in many forms which can be used in a huge variety of possible future careers – past students have gone on to work in sectors as diverse as fashion, charities, social media, nuclear energy, defence manufacturing and the public sector.
I love working with people of all ages and backgrounds and seeing them make progress and achieve their qualifications, sometimes in “small” ways, such as remembering how to do a written multiplication.













