The new qualification that could land you a £60,000-a-year job with no debt – but is it all it's cracked up to be?

A degree with no debt that could lead to a £60,000-a-year job. What's not to like? That's Andy Burnham's pitch to the thousands of young people in Greater Manchester who don't want to go to university.

Almost two-thirds of teenagers in the city-region leave school without GCSEs in English, maths, science, humanities and a language.

But rather than pushing them to study the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and pursue the path to university, the mayor wants to create an alternative.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

The Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) would offer a route into the creative and digital sectors as well as health, social care and construction jobs. English and maths would still be a requirement, but so would computer science or ICT.

Other options would include engineering, creative subjects such as art, drama and music, and the sciences. This more flexible qualification could then lead to apprenticeships, T-Levels or even a degree with costs covered by employers.

Education bosses and business leaders who have backed the proposal claim that the technical education route can lead to well-paid jobs in the fast growing creative, digital and tech sectors. However, some have said that creating a new qualification would not help break down the barriers in the education system which young people from working class backgrounds face.

Manchester-based charity RECLAIM has argued that this path would be a 'dead end' if the pay, conditions and security of the jobs on offer once completed do not match those of the professions dominated by middle class graduates. The organisation which supports young working class people has also raised concerns about about