A polytechnic was a tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales (Welsh: coleg polytechnig)[1] and Northern Ireland offering higher diplomas, undergraduate degree and postgraduate education (masters and PhD) that was governed and administered at the national level by the Council for National Academic Awards.
The polytechnic legacy was to advance and excel in undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering and technology (STEM) education that now form a core faculty at many universities in the UK.
The establishment of the polytechnic was a reaction to the rise of industrial power and technical education in France, Germany and the US.
[citation needed] The South-Western Polytechnic Institute (1895–1922) was founded for 'the provision of education for the poorer inhabitants of London'.
It offered practical training in STEM subjects for adult men, alongside a day school for 13-15-year-old boys and girls.
The Institute evolved into Chelsea Polytechnic, eventually merging into King’s College in the University of London.
[4] The CNAA was chartered by the British government to validate and award degrees, and to maintain national quality assurance standards.
[7] Such innovations made a polytechnic education more relevant for professional work in applying science and advanced technology in industry.
[3][8] In certain parts of UK culture, an engineering, applied science and technological education tended to be looked down upon socially.
Others adopted a name which reflects the local area, such as Nottingham Trent University (named after the River Trent which flows through Nottingham) and Sheffield Hallam University ("Hallam" refers to the area of South Yorkshire in which much of Sheffield is situated).
At their peak there were over thirty polytechnics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the English ones being primarily located in urban areas large enough to support industry or commerce, from which they usually took the city name.