Source: Nelly2

The arrangement is in addition to a partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London, which already validates business and enterprise degrees at the college.

Pearson had hoped to win degree-awarding powers itself, but this has been stalled by the coalition government¡¯s decision last year to shelve the Higher Education Bill that would have made this legally possible.

The ¡°suite of innovative undergraduate programmes¡± validated by Ashridge will be on offer from 2014.

According to a statement from Pearson, ¡°students on the new degrees will attend regular weekly lectures and seminars in London, experience corporate engagement at Pearson HQ, and have the chance to attend conferences and residential stays at Ashridge, including an executive education module specially designed for final year honours students¡±.

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Pearson College opened its doors to a ¡°small cohort¡± of ¡°pioneers¡± in September 2012, but will step up recruitment this year.

In a statement, Kai Peters, chief executive of Ashridge Business School, said that the new degrees would ¡°develop graduates with the knowledge and skills that businesses are calling for, and give students practical experience of applying management theories in areas such as marketing and finance¡±.

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¡°By ensuring students have experience in the corporate sphere and well-honed soft-skills we are developing practising managers at a younger age, and boosting graduate employability,¡± he added.

david.matthews@tsleducation.com