The new way to grow up in Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham has launched a new vision for how Greater Manchester’s teenagers should grow up.

The Mayor, recently re-elected for a third term, officially launched the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) in the city centre in front of hundreds of invited guests from schools, colleges, and businesses interested in signing up to the programme. The MBacc will create an ‘equal alternative’ in technical education compared to going down the university route, Mr Burnham says.

Once fully-rolled-out, pupils in year 9 will be able to select GCSE options to fit seven ‘pathways’ corresponding to seven industries which are important for Greater Manchester’s economy. The pathways are: health and social care; digital and technology; engineering and manufacturing; construction and the green economy; financial and professional; education and early years; creative, culture, and sport.

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Alongside the GCSEs to fit their chosen pathway, youngsters will take some core subjects like English, Maths, and Sciences — plus embark on 50 hours’ worth of work experience. After finishing year 11, they will be able to take up a T-level course, with 1,000 of such places available in the seven ‘pathway’ industries.

“We think the system needs to be fixed in a really simple way: to give every single person growing up in Greater Manchester a path into the success story here,” Mr Burnham told the invited guests at Manchester Hall. “We now hit a point where we have the opportunities.

“There have been 235,000 job vacancies across the seven MBacc pathways… Let’s get to 2030 where every young person gets a path and gets hope.”

Lou Cordwell, who chairs the Greater Manchester