Colleges of Advanced Technology

Salford, both city and university, have long been impacted by socioeconomic and cultural change.

The city’s roots are firmly embedded in the first and second Industrial Revolutions, development has occurred through continual processes of adaptation, innovation, and renewal. During the mid-eighteenth century, Salford was still a relatively small place to live. Rapid industrialisation transformed this landscape, driving population growth and restructuring the urban environment. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the city had become what historian Asa Briggs later described as a “shock city” – a place affected by rapid social, economic, and technological transformation.

As industrial expansion began to stabilise, educational institutions emerged to meet new demands for technical skills and professional training. The Pendleton Mechanics’ Institute (established 1850) and the Salford Working Men’s College (established 1858) responded directly to these changing conditions. Their merger in 1896 created the Royal Technical Institute, Salford. The institution became the Royal Technical College in 1921, before undergoing a major transition in 1956 when it became the Royal College of Advanced Technology, Salford.

But what exactly was a College of Advanced Technology, or as they were commonly referred to as CAT’s? In simple terms, the CATs were institutions identified by the government following the White Paper on Technical Education (1956). The report recognised gaps in Britain’s higher education sector, particularly science and technology, and aimed to accelerate the development of institutions capable of addressing national skills shortages. Selected colleges were tasked with expanding advanced courses, strengthening links with industry, and contributing to economic modernisation. While twenty-four institutions were initially considered, ten were ultimately designated as CAT’s.

These developments formed part of a broader post-war effort to expand higher education and strengthen the national economy through scientific research and technological innovation. Earlier recommendations from the National Advisory Council (1952), the Barlow Committee on Scientific Manpower (1946), and the Percy Report (1945) had already highlighted the need to increase the number of scientists and technologists. By the mid-1950s, student numbers in science and technology had doubled compared with pre-war levels, and further growth was actively encouraged through new funding structures, full-time and sandwich courses, and the introduction of the Diploma in Technology.

Salford’s designation as a College of Advanced Technology was announced in the House of Commons on 21 June 1956, with formal recognition confirmed on 2 November that year. Alongside nine other techincal providers, including Battersea (later the University of Surrey), Aston, Bradford, Brunel, Loughborough, and the Welsh College of Advanced Technology, Salford joined a network positioned at the forefront of Britain’s technological education strategy.

A defining moment in Salford’s transformation. The White Paper set the course towards becoming a technological university, the new college relocating to today’s Maxwell Building, and by 1967 receiving the Royal Charter and becoming a fully civic university.