Swansea Metropolitan University (Welsh: Prifysgol Fetropolitan Abertawe, formerly Swansea Institute of Higher Education, or Athrofa Abertawe) is a university based in Swansea, Wales, UK. The University was formed as Swansea Institute of Higher Education ("SIHE") in 1992, when it achieved its status as an independent Higher Education Corporation. It had previously been known as the West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education, which itself had been formed in September 1976 from the amalgamation of three colleges, the origins of which date back to the mid-19th century. Its predecessors were Swansea College of Art, Swansea College of Education (a teacher training college), and Swansea College of Technology. In January 2008, it was announced that the Privy Council had accorded the institution university status, and approved its present name, making it one of the newest universities in Britain. The Institute was formerly a full member of the University of Wales, but following structural changes in the University in September 2007, it is now an accredited institution. It is an approved centre for BTEC Higher National and NVQ programmes.