Greater Manchester and Raspberry Pi Foundation partner of computing qualification

Greater Manchester and the Raspberry Pi Foundation have partnered on a new qualification to support young people into a career in the tech sector.

Designed by the Greater Manchester Business Board, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the Applied Computing qualification will be made available to secondary school pupils as part of the new Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) qualification.

The Applied Computing qualification will offer pupils on the MBacc route a tailored, accessible learning experience, setting them up with digital skills for the workplace. Designed to be suitable for independent study, the qualification will align to the knowledge and skills appropriate to each stage of the MBacc as young people progress – from providing fundamental digital skills, all the way through to preparing for a career in the digital and tech sector. Greater Manchester is home to a £5 billion digital ecosystem that suports over 10,000 digital and tech businesses with particular strengths in cybersecurity, e-commerce and AI.

Raspberry Pi is known for making low-cost, credit-card sized computers that can help young people develop their coding skills. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity with the mission to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“The support and interest we have received since launching the MBacc shows that industry partners share our view that the technical education system in this country needs to be rewired. The Raspberry Pi Foundation does fantastic work teaching young people about computing and how to create using digital technologies, and we look forward to working with them to drive forward our technical education ambitions. This qualification offers knowledge and skills that have genuine application in the workplace.

“Our digital and technology sector is one of Greater Manchester’s biggest strengths and is rapidly growing. To sustain that growth, we need to ensure there is a clear pathway to a career in the sector for any young person who has that ambition.” 

Chair of the Greater Manchester Business Board, Lou Cordwell, said:

“Our ambition to make Greater Manchester the UK’s leading technical education city-region will help us to shape a skilled workforce that will meet business needs and accelerate our future growth.

“Working with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to deliver this unique applied computing qualification will give our region’s young people the skills and knowledge they need to access opportunities in our growing digital economy, making it more accessible to everyone.”

Chief Executive of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Philip Colligan, said:

“We are delighted to be working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and businesses in the region to develop the Raspberry Pi Certificate in Applied Computing.  This qualification will give all young people in Manchester, including those who may not be in formal education, the chance to develop the skills and confidence to pursue a career in tech.”

Greater Manchester Lead for Technical Education and Skills, Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, said:

“We know there is massive demand for talent in the digital and tech sector and our skills system needs to respond accordingly. At the same time, our young people should feel like the opportunities in the exciting and growing parts of our economy are within reach as they progress through their education and prepare for the world of work. This partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation is an example of how the MBacc enables Greater Manchester to provide this pathway, using the organisation’s insights and expertise to offer skills that will help young people get on in the sector.”

The MBacc has been designed with employers across Greater Manchester to provide an alternative route to high-quality jobs for young people through technical education rather than the academic route. It has been split into seven gateways, each linked to a growing sector in Greater Manchester – Construction and the Green Economy; Creative, Culture and Sport; Digital and Technology; Education and Early Years; Engineering and Manufacturing; Financial and Professional; and Health and Social Care.

The Applied Computing qualification will support the Digital and Technology pathway.