The two-year long part-time degree will be delivered by facilitators from private sector course provider, the Training Foundation (TF), under the supervision of the University and will comprise 11 modular short courses based on TF’s existing Training, Application and Performance (TAP) programme.

Current holders of a TAP Master Diploma in Learning & Development will receive Recognition of Prior Learning for 50% of the degree, which would cut the duration of the course down to a single year.

Nick Mitchell, TF’s chief executive, said: “The Foundation Degree is a major step in our long journey to professionalise learning and development, which is so mission-critical today for organisational effectiveness and growth.”

He hoped that the introduction of the initiative would become a “watershed event” as, in his opinion, a career in learning and development had to date not been “given the importance it deserves”. This was despite the important role that such activity would play in enabling the UK to raise its game in order “to compete on the global world stage”.

“A training role has often been regarded as ‘what one does while waiting for a proper job in HR to come along’. Or simply as something that anyone with subject matter knowledge and expertise can automatically fulfil,” Mitchell claimed.

Each of the 11 modular short courses on offer includes in-built skills assessment activities and students will be required to submit a 2,500 word paper so that their knowledge can be evaluated. Participants will also need to undertake two work-based projects in order to demonstrate their practical understanding and application of the scheme’s content.

Registration is open as of now. According to government statistics, there are currently more than 160,000 people employed in training and development roles in the UK, excluding education.