Greater Manchester Baccalaureate opens career paths into public service

The launch of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate is giving more young people in Greater Manchester a clear route into careers in public service thanks to new T Level placements.

Employers and colleges have come together to create hundreds of high-quality opportunities working in the NHS and on the Bee Network. These include Greater Manchester’s first T Level placements in midwifery at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, as well as new placement pledges from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, (the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe), Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, and other health and care organisations.  The placements are part of a plan to make it easier for young people to pursue a technical education through the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, or MBacc. 

Co-designed with education and business leaders and with young people themselves, the MBacc draws on local labour market data to guide learners to sectors that are growing in Greater Manchester.  

T Levels are one of the key technical education pathways that make up the MBacc. Typically studied over two years, by 16-19-year-olds, they are equivalent to three A Levels. T Level students spend 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% on an industry placement, which lasts a minimum of 45 days. These placements are designed to give students real-world experience in their chosen sector, helping them to move into jobs, apprenticeships or higher education. Hands-on work experience is hard-wired into the MBacc and, by September, students will be able to choose between hundreds of T Level placements across the city-region. 

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Bee Network bus operators, Network Rail and train operating companies have pledged to create 160 new T Level and apprenticeship placements in 2025, including in engineering, transport operations, and project support.  

Increasing numbers of health and care providers are offering at least 400 placements across both clinical and non-clinical roles, including placements in infection control and chemotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and plumbing and electrical engineering at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.  

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“These placements show that our MBacc offers a genuine alternative to the university route. When you look at the kinds of placements on offer – from engineering to midwifery and chemotherapy – it’s clear that a technical education opens doors to top professions.  

“The opening up of more than 300 prestigious opportunities in our best-known public services will be a game-changer for many young people, creating a ladder into great careers which they might otherwise have struggled to access. At the same time, we’re creating the skilled workforce our economy and public services need.  

“This is what devolution is all about, doing things differently to deliver better outcomes for everyone. The Growth Company has done groundbreaking work to drive up the number of placements from our major employers. With further devolution of post-16 education, we could unlock even more opportunities.

“I’d like to thank all those employers who’ve already pledged to create T Level placements and apprenticeships, and I’d urge more to get involved – so we can help our young people and our economy to fulfil their potential.” 

T Levels are thriving in Greater Manchester. Last year, the number of T Level learners here increased by 42%. The city region also saw a 94% pass rate, well above the national average 88.7% and, thanks to the exceptional work of Greater Manchester colleges, 68% of our learners achieved top grades, outperforming the national average of 62.7%.  

Employers can pledge to host T Level placements and apprenticeships here.