Skelmersdale is among the first in the UK to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI) super curriculum to every secondary school in the area, giving thousands of young people the skills and confidence they need for the future world of work. This makes Lancashire the only county region in the country to integrate this learning into every secondary school for its 8,297 students, setting a new standard for digital education.
The West Lancashire MEGA (Motivated, Educated Generation with Ambition) Hub is one of ten hubs across the Lancashire Local Authorities. It provides students with access to a pioneering, technology-enriched super curriculum and an AI Academy, giving them hands-on experience with cyber security, entrepreneurship, esports and machine learning.
Schools in Skelmersdale taking part in the MEGA Hub include Lathom High School, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School and Maharishi School.
There are also MEGA Scholarships in Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire, where selected students receive a £1,000 bursary, mentoring, workplace visits, hackathons, industry placements, and the option to take a cyber security qualification.
Developed by professional technology training and skills provider IN4 Group, the MEGA Hub is funded by Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackpool Council and the National Cyber Force (NCF), alongside leading industry partners including IBM, KPMG UK, Northrop Grumman, CGI, QinetiQ, Energus, Roke and BT. The MEGA Hub includes CyberFirst (which will migrate to TechFirst from April 2026), a programme backed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ.
Lauren Monks, Director of CyberFirst and MEGA Hubs at IN4 Group, said:
Skelmersdale is leading the way in unlocking the potential of talented young people who may be at risk of underachieving due to disadvantage, neurodiversity or lack of social capital. The MEGA Hub helps every young person, wherever they live and whatever their background, to secure the best career destinations by boosting academic attainment, building technology skills, and opening access to professional networks.
Anthony Robinson, Head of Curriculum STEM at West Lancashire College, said:
Being a MEGA Hub anchor college positions West Lancashire College perfectly to drive regional skills development, collaboration and innovation within STEM. As an anchor organisation, the college plays a leading role in hosting activity across the Hub, shaping curriculum priorities to meet local, regional, and national economic needs. It reinforces our commitment to supporting economic growth and workforce development across the region, while ensuring learners have access to industry-relevant pathways and progression opportunities.
Leader of Lancashire County Council Stephen Atkinson said:
“This programme motivates young people and allows them to see the opportunity and makes them ready for the high-value jobs that will come into Lancashire. These young people are like seeds from which oak trees grow, and they will influence their peers, and they will see how exciting this is, how they are supported and the ambition we have never seen before.
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