The Manchester College increases pass rates and student attendance with Electude

About the Manchester College

The Manchester College (TMC) is one of the largest further education colleges in the United Kingdom and the number one provider of 16–19 education in Greater Manchester. It is also the top further education college in Greater Manchester for achievement, according to the latest Government National Achievement Rates Tables (NARTs).

With a mission to improve lives and economic success through learning and skills, the college offers over 300 courses in 22 subject areas, supporting more than 23,000 students at modern campuses, centres of excellence, and specialist industry facilities.

Within its automotive department, The Manchester College offers nine programmes across three levels for 16–19-year-old learners. These programmes combine industry-standard workshops, future-focused technology, and a broad range of technical skills designed to prepare students for further study, apprenticeships, and employment.

Challenges

Improving engagement and outcomes for Level 1 automotive learners

Level 1 students make up the largest learner cohort at The Manchester College automotive department. They are also one of the most challenging groups to engage and support.

Many learners arrive at college with low prior attainment, limited qualifications, or low levels of English and maths. Engagement can also be particularly difficult among
16–18-year-old learners.

The Manchester College faces the challenge of supporting these students in developing skills, retaining knowledge, and progressing to the next stage of their professional journey.

With more than 300 automotive students aged 16–18, The Manchester College needed to ensure that every learner could develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours required to progress into employment, an apprenticeship, or further study.

Moving towards a more student-centred, inclusive approach

Moreover, the college wanted to support a shift in teaching practice and learning. Traditionally, delivery had been more teacher-led, with tutors acting as the main source of knowledge.

The management team wanted to move towards a more student-centred and inclusive model, where all learners could thrive and take more ownership of their progress. In this model, tutors would still play a vital role as facilitators and should have more time to ask questions, probe understanding, and provide targeted support to individual students.

To make this change successful, The Manchester College needed the right tools for both learners and teachers. It also needed to support staff through the transition, particularly tutors who had spent many years teaching in a more traditional way.

Solutions

In 2024, Electude partnered with The Manchester College to shape Electude Inspire (previously known as Electude Classroom) according to regional qualification standards and frameworks. The collaboration helped ensure Electude’s content and course structure were closely aligned with the needs, requirements, and realities of the United Kingdom’s Further Education system.

Electude Inspire provides resources that meet country-specific standards, current industry knowledge, and recognised qualifications. In the United Kingdom, it is currently available for:

• Level 1 in Vehicle Systems Maintenance
• Level 2 & Level 3 in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles
• Level 3 Motor Vehicle Service & Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship Standard – Light Vehicle

As part of the project, Electude was first introduced to a smaller group of automotive students at The Manchester College. Following this initial experience, TMC implemented Electude across all Level 1 automotive programmes in the 2025/2026 academic year.

Electude also delivered training sessions for teaching staff, helping tutors understand the platform and use it confidently in their lessons.

The college expected Electude to help increase engagement, improve pass rates, support a more student-centred approach, and enable tutors to identify individual learner needs and provide targeted support.

Throughout the pilot, the Manchester College tracked results to assess learner outcomes and measure the platform’s impact. Student pass rates in IMI qualifications were also analysed, providing reliable, nationally recognised data on learner performance.

Results

The pilot delivered clear improvements in learner outcomes among Level 1 automotive students.

Results at a glance:

• 14% increase in first-time pass rates, from 70% to 80%
• 75% increase in 90% or higher scores achievement
• 9% increase in student attendance
• Fewer repeated resits

Higher first-time pass rates and scores, fewer resits

When The Manchester College compared Level 1 learner results across four academic years, the 2025–2026 cohort showed a significant improvement in first-time pass rates in IMI qualifications, despite being a much larger cohort than previous years.

The number of students increased from 108 in 2024/25 to 197 in 2025/26, partly due to the inclusion of learners from the college’s Wythenshawe satellite site. Even with this larger group, both first-time pass rates and high achievement improved.

The first-time pass rate increased from 70% to 80%, a rise of 10 percentage points, equivalent to a 14.3% increase.

The share achieving a 75% high score rose from 40% to 42%, an increase of 2 percentage points or 5%.

The most notable improvement was in the 90% high score category, which increased from 8% to 14%, a gain of 6 percentage points and a 75% increase. This shows that 2025 delivered clear progress overall, especially at the highest achievement level.

Steven Short, Department Team Leader at The Manchester College, noted that Electude’s built-in progression helped students strengthen their understanding before moving forward: “If students don’t understand something, they’ve got to go back and complete it. So they have to go over what they may not have understood and can’t progress without understanding it.”

According to Steven, this repeated practice contributed to stronger first-time pass rates, but also to better outcomes for students who needed a second attempt. Learners who did not pass the first time were much closer to the required standard and typically passed on their second attempt, reducing the need for repeated resits.

For the college, fewer resits also create a financial benefit. Reduced resit activity can help lower associated costs, while improved progression supports learner retention.

Improved attendance

The Manchester College also saw a positive impact on attendance. In the first term of 2025–2026, attendance among Level 1 automotive students reached 91.8%, a 9% increase over the same period in 2024–2025.

Staff attributed this partly to the engaging structure of the platform and the fact that students had clear, purposeful work to complete when they attended.

For The Manchester College, the results show that Electude is helping learners gain the motivation, knowledge, and confidence they need at the start of their automotive journey.

As Phil Jones, Head of Department, summarises: “The data clearly shows how we have given our learners the best possible start to their journey to become automotive technicians.”

A more student-centred and inclusive learning experience

Electude also helped The Manchester College move towards a more student-centred model of teaching and learning. According to Ian Byrne, Head of Quality: “Before, the delivery was very teacher-led. It’s now much more student-focused, with students taking ownership. That doesn’t take the teacher out of it, but the teacher becomes much more of a facilitator.”

Changing teaching habits was not always easy, especially for teachers who had spent many years working in a more traditional way. However, through training and collaboration with Electude, staff became more confident with the platform. Many tutors reported that the transition was smooth, and most are now fully on board with the new approach.

Electude also supports a more inclusive learning experience. Students can move at their own pace, revisit topics they have not yet mastered, and build understanding before progressing. This is particularly valuable for learners with different starting points, confidence levels, and support needs.

At the same time, tutors can track learner progress through Electude’s analytics dashboard and formative assessments. This helps them identify gaps in understanding, monitor progress, and provide targeted support where it is needed most.

Connecting knowledge, skills, and workplace readiness

Electude supports the entire learning cycle, from knowledge introduction to hands-on application. This helps The Manchester College create a stronger link between classroom learning, workshop practice, and workplace readiness.

For the college, this is essential. Its automotive curriculum is designed not only to help students pass qualifications, but also to prepare them for progression into employment, apprenticeships, or further study.

As Ella Tsui-Lau, Assistant Principal (ACEL) at The Manchester College, explains:

“TMC is always trying to be more innovative in getting students to have the right skills, knowledge, and behaviour to go into the workplace, and that’s one of the reasons why we are adapting our curriculum, to ensure it is employer-led and that it will enable students to go into the workplace.”

Following the success of the pilot, The Manchester College expects to see even stronger results in the coming year, as teachers have become more confident using Electude.

Would you like to see how Electude can help your school improve student outcomes? Contact your local representative or request a free trial today.