Business and education leaders give backing for city-region’s technical education vision

Business and education leaders have backed the city-region’s initial proposals for technical education, including the creation of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc).

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, announced plans in May for the MBacc, a new pathway for young people tailored towards pursuing a technical education after their GCSEs, that will sit alongside the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) that targets university entry. The MBacc aims to provide clear routes for young people to access work, skills and training in line with what the local economy of Greater Manchester needs from its future workforce, as well as giving equal weighting to both university and technical further education. The new route also helps support the one in three young people who do not want to go to university and match them into the skilled jobs being created in the local economy.

Following the announcement, a consultation took place to find out what members of the public and key partners thought of the MBacc proposals. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents said they agree with Greater Manchester’s ambition for integrating technical education, skills and work. This includes more than 50 organisations from a variety of industries including digital, education and creative.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“Since we published our plans, we have received an overwhelmingly positive response from employers and education leaders to the MBacc and our vision for an integrated technical education system. We have been taken aback by the high levels of public support from parents and students who are pleased that technical education is finally being given the priority it deserves.

“We can take huge engagement from these results and will now work up a much more detailed announcement on next steps in September. Our aim remains to introduce our new approach in September 2024.”

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, GMCA lead for Technical Education and Skills said:

“These results reinforce the backing Greater Manchester has received for the move towards an integrated skills system in the city-region.

“Employers continue to highlight a lack of technical skills within Greater Manchester’s workforce required to build their businesses. We will use the survey responses to ensure our skills system is aligned with businesses, creating a workforce that is resilient, flexible and fit for the future.”

Joanne Roney, GMCA chief executive lead for Technical Education and Skills, said:

“These positive consultation results really help to reinforce our ambitions and goes to show Greater Manchester is crying out for reforms to technical education. We will have a further update in September on how these plans will look in practise.”

The MBacc, proposed to launch by September 2024 with a pilot programme, is part of Greater Manchester’s plans for driving technical education which 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.

As part of the proposals, Greater Manchester’s Apprenticeship and Careers Service (GMACS) will also be enhanced to increase access to technical education qualifications and opportunities as well as a wider package of support. It will sit alongside the UCAS system for those pursuing a university route.