Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has praised sixty businesses coming forward to support his vision for technical education in the city-region at a business breakfast today [26 Sept 2023].
Big names include Microsoft, Siemens, Kraft Heinz, Deloitte, Barclays, Ernst and Young, BBC, ITV and Autotrader who attended the event. They were joined by employers from the world of construction and green economy – Capital and Centric and Seddon Construction; from education – Shaw Education Trust, UA92, all five of the city-region’s universities; from culture – Factory International, The Warehouse Project/Parklife, BBC, ITV, Halle, Street Games UK, Science and Industry Museum; and from manufacturing and engineering – Sodexo, Daikin and Stepan Company, and others.
These businesses have agreed to be part of a new network of employers to drive forward Greater Manchester’s ambition to create a technical education city-region and galvanise industry to commit to take action.
Seven leaders will be appointed to form an Employer Integration Board who will use insights from seven key sectors to develop more technical education opportunities for young people in Greater Manchester
The work of the Board will be employer-led and members will use their position to advocate for the value of technical education in building and maintaining a diverse and skilled workforce. They will also help to create more Industry Placements and Apprenticeships for young people to develop the skills they need and will co-design the curriculum with technical education providers to help connect the learning to the workplace.
Leaders will work closely with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce.
Interested businesses can apply to sit on the Employers Integration Board through an open application process, which launches today [Tuesday 26th September] and will close on Monday 16th October 2023. Applications will be shortlisted and final appointments will be agreed by the Mayor. The successful seven leaders will be appointed by the end of October 2023.
Those businesses that have pledged their support but have not been selected to sit on the overarching Employers Integration Board will automatically form an Employer Supporters Action Network, which will help the Board to create forward change through information sharing as well as identifying challenges and opportunities.
As part of the ambition to make Greater Manchester a technical education city-region, back in May the Mayor announced plans to create two equal pathways for young people when they make their GCSE choices – one academic and one focussed on technical careers – and with the ability to move between those pathways. As part of this, the Mayor has proposed the idea of a Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) for technical education, which would sit alongside the existing clear pathway for those wanting to pursue a university education.
The MBacc, which will launch in September 2024 with a pilot programme, will guide students towards subjects which will maximise their chances of getting a good job in our growing regional economy, such as in Engineering, Computer Science or the creative subjects.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “I’m delighted that so many big name employers – all with a base in Greater Manchester – have stepped up to lead from the front in championing the value of technical education, get involved in developing the curriculum, and crucially, help provide training opportunities and jobs.
“I’m also pleased to see employers from a diverse range of sectors get involved from health, education, manufacturing to banking. It shows just how much opportunity is out there and the fact that so many parents and carers and the public in general back our proposals is heartening.
“Today is a clear signal to young people and their parents and carers in our city-region that we will support you with a clear pathway if university education is not for you.”
Jo Ahmed, partner and member of the Deloitte North West leadership team, said: “As a large employer both in the UK and across the region we share the ambition to make career pathways more accessible to a large and diverse population and ensure there are opportunities to thrive for all. Helping to shape the skills and employability agenda across Greater Manchester is important to us and we look forward to the prospect of joining the GMCA’s Employer Board.”
