Greater Manchester colleges awarded £2.5 million to expand innovation

Nine General Further Education colleges across Greater Manchester have been awarded a collective £2.5 million to increase innovation support for businesses.

The Greater Manchester Further Education (FE) Innovation Programme, which has been funded by Innovate UK, aims to increase the role of FE colleges by expanding its innovation support and improve productivity for local businesses. Among the initiatives being funded is a new Innovation Centre in each of the city-region’s ten boroughs that will engage local businesses and establish colleges and places where businesses can connect and collaborate. Funding comes a year after city-region leaders agreed a strategic partnership with Innovate UK to support innovation in Greater Manchester.

Trafford & Stockport College Group in Stockport is among the nine organisations to secure a share of the funding, with FE colleges in all 10 boroughs that comprise GMColleges receiving a share.

Anna Dawe, GMColleges Chair, explains,

“This exciting project directly connects innovations in business with the technical education provision and students which will continue to support industry, all while responding to the demand for skills and our region’s productivity ambition.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“This funding is a further boost for our ambitions to create the country’s first integrated technical education system. Innovation is key to making Greater Manchester a more prosperous place with a more productive economy, but we need to ensure its benefits are widely felt. This programme puts colleges and further education centres at the forefront of innovation, which is great news for students, businesses and our local economies.”

Coral Grainger, GM Further Education Innovation Programme Director, added:

“In communities all across the country, Further Education forms the bedrock of the relationship between employers and education. As someone who started their own professional career with a HNC at a Manchester college, I’m proud to be leading this project that will establish new partnerships between FE and the wider innovation ecosystem.”

GMColleges includes all nine General FE colleges in Greater Manchester: Bolton College, Bury College, Hopwood Hall College, Oldham College, Tameside College, The Manchester College, Trafford & Stockport College Group, Salford City College Group, and Wigan & Leigh College.