KLC has extensive links within the interior and garden design professions.

These have been steadily built up since the school was founded with designers, suppliers, manufacturers, specialists and other professionals in the field, including some of the leading names in design, contributing to the courses.

A vital source of potential work shadowing, internships and employment, these links also provide a source of lecturers and support tutors who play an important role in the delivery, teaching and learning experience of the students overall.

This genuinely collaborative engagement with professional practitioners in turn ensures that course content is up to date with current skills, knowledge and methods of practice and these contacts are frequently a source of exciting design projects for students to undertake during their course.

Our staff are closely involved with both the Society of Garden Designers and the British Institute of Interior Design (including KLC's Founder, Jenny Gibbs, as a past President) and KLC students are encouraged to join these professional associations.

We are also very grateful to the generous Industry Sponsors of our annual Graduation Ceremony, which makes the occasion very special and memorable for our graduates.

Don't just take our word for it

We are proud to maintain some very special relationships with a number of professional bodies:

• Four of our qualification courses are validated by the University of Sussex and, in this year of transition (2022), up to two by the University of Brighton
• We work with Historic Royal Palaces in maintaining our Hampton Court 20th Century Garden and teaching relationship
• Our Principal, Jenny Gibbs, is a past president of the British Institute of Interior Design(BIID) and we retain close working ties with them. Similarly, the garden courses benefit from our relationship with the Society of Garden Designers (SGD)
• We run regular short courses and online courses in both Interior and Garden Design with industry partners
• We developed a successful course with FutureLearn, which provides online courses from the world's leading universities and specialist organisations
• We plan events with organisations such as Media 10, with our regular presence at Grand Designs Live, House festival and Chelsea Flower Show
• We're a member of Independent Higher Education, the national association for providers of independent education higher education services
• We're given educational oversight by the Office for Students (OfS) and the  Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), who ensure the quality of standards in UK higher education providers
• The Home Office (UKVI) have given us Tier 4 Highly Trusted sponsor status, so international students can also apply for our courses.

KLC School of Design graduates go on to achieve amazing things, from winning prestigious industry awards to setting up interior design practices and finding positions within the commercial and residential design sectors. Our combination of conceptual teaching and real-world industry projects means our graduates leave us with a highly employable skillset and ready to make a difference in the design world. Read some of Alumni profiles and find out more.

Our KLC School of Design graduate shows recognise the achievement and work of our students across our range of Interior Design and Garden Design courses.

Discover inspiration, ideas and the latest student stories from our KLC School of Design.

Founded in 1982 by Principal Jenny Gibbs OBE, KLC School of Design has been committed to delivering an industry-leading range of accredited and professional qualifications in Interior Design and Gardening. Our close industry connections, access to practising professionals and investment in emerging technologies offers our students cutting-edge teaching and career ready skills.

KLC School of Design merged with West Dean College of Arts and Conservation on 31 July 2021. Combining our strengths, we are in a better position to meet the fast-changing needs of students, the industries we serve and the rapidly changing world beyond.

Students will also be offered greater choice in their studies going forward, with a wider range of courses in complementary subjects. The focus will remain firmly on fostering creative excellence and innovation, providing the ideal setting for students to acquire and apply the skills needed for successful careers in the arts, conservation and design industries.