Introducing our FAD Symposium venue: The Manchester College

We’re delighted to announce that this year’s Foundation in Art and Design Symposium will take place on Friday 27 February at The Manchester College, one of the UK’s largest and most diverse providers of further education. As a key centre for creative learning in the city, The Manchester College plays an important role in supporting both young people and adult learners to access and progress within creative education. 

To learn more about the centre and its values, we spoke with Rebecca Rogers, Head of Visual Arts at The Manchester College, about what the Foundation in Art and Design qualification means to their community, how it supports widening participation and why hosting the symposium feels particularly significant for the college and for the future of creative education.

Why was it important for The Manchester College to host the Foundation in Art and Design Symposium, and how does this align with your vision for creative education?

It was important for The Manchester College to host the Foundation in Art and Design Symposium because it is creating a vital space for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration around a qualification that plays a transformative role in creative education. As a beloved qualification that spans generations, FAD sits in the centre of hearts and minds and as such, we are delighted to be hosting such an important event for UAL. Here at TMC, The Foundation Diploma is often a gateway back into learning or into employment for adults across our city as well as the familiar stepping stone to Higher Education for our younger students, the symposium recognises this value and impact.

Our vision for creative education is rooted in inspiring students to learn, develop, and create strong networks that support both their personal growth and professional ambitions. The symposium aligns with this vision by bringing together educators, institutions, and industry partners to champion the importance of this qualification - something all art educators understand deeply. It reinforces our shared responsibility to protect, evolve, and advocate for a qualification that changes lives.

How has the Foundation in Art and Design qualification supported widening access and meeting the needs of diverse learners?

The Foundation in Art and Design plays a crucial role in widening access to creative education at TMC. Our current cohort of 24 learners reflects this impact clearly: many are adults returning to education after time away, while others have previously been unemployed or disengaged from formal learning. We are proud to include the FAD qualification in our adult suite of qualifications alongside a UAL Level 2 Diploma in Photography and smaller qualifications in pattern cutting and construction and jewellery with other awarding bodies.

The programme has evolved to meet the needs of our adults and young people through a rich and inclusive curriculum that blends traditional and non-traditional techniques. We work closely with key cultural stakeholders such as Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Craft and Design Centre, and the Whitworth Art Gallery, ensuring learners feel connected to the city’s creative landscape. Access to the course is key—both physically and culturally - and our use of external studios and real-world creative environments supports learners in rebuilding confidence and developing their practice in meaningful ways.

How do you encourage students to explore ideas and develop confidence in their creative practice?

We encourage students to explore widely before specialising. Learners are supported to try everything - experimenting across disciplines - before focusing on the area where they succeed, feel confident, and most importantly, find enjoyment.

This approach allows students to discover their strengths organically. The course offers opportunities in printmaking, jewellery, textiles, fashion, design, photography, ceramics, and fine art. Through exploration, reflection, and supported risk-taking, students build confidence in their creative voice and develop a strong sense of direction for progression. We are lucky to have excellent practitioner - technicians in all specialist areas which provides students additional opportunities to develop ideas and confidence in specialist workshops.

What role does sustainability play in your delivery of the Foundation in Art and Design?

Sustainability is a core value and a consistent through-line throughout the programme. It is embedded across all briefs and informs both thinking and making. Learners are encouraged to consider sustainable materials, ethical processes, and responsible creative practices as part of their artistic development. This is reflected in briefs such as the Whitworth Takeover: Santiago Yahuarcani – The Beginning of Knowledge, which additionally explores globalisation.

This approach not only reflects the realities of the contemporary creative industries but also empowers students to see sustainability as integral to their identity as creative practitioners.

Looking to the future, what do you hope the Foundation in Art and Design will offer the next generation of creative students?

Looking ahead, we want the Foundation in Art and Design to continue offering students exactly what they need to succeed in the creative industries—skills, confidence, adaptability, and a strong sense of belonging and purpose.

We hope the qualification will remain flexible and responsive, able to pivot to meet the needs of increasingly diverse learners while championing accessibility, equity, and inclusion.

We are excited to explore specialist pathways within the FAD qualification that leans into our strengths as a department as well as retaining the diagnostic approach. Expertise within our teaching community in jewellery, ceramics, textiles and printmaking could offer students a deep knowledge and skill within a chosen pathway that promotes self-employment.  This would map to our offer at HE, with UCEN Manchester as we use our newly gained Degree Awarding Powers to write specialist degrees.

Above all, we want it to continue opening doors, nurturing talent, and supporting students to find their place within this amazing and ever-evolving creative city and sector.