Andy Burnham to speak at conference on shaping the skills of Rochdale’s young adults

Andy Burnham meets Hopwood Hall College apprentices at GMAC's Apprenticeships Delivering the Standards conference

The Mayor of Greater Manchester will speak at Hopwood Hall College's “Shape the Future of Skills in Rochdale” conference on Thursday 22 November, alongside Rochdale MP, Tony Lloyd.

The conference, held at the College's Middleton campus, will welcome employers based in Rochdale or with substantial interests in the borough and its next generation of skilled workers.

Among 70 attendees will be the BBC, British Gypsum, RRG Group, Balfour Beatty, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Siemens and Rochdale AFC.

Guest speakers from both education and business backgrounds will be discussing how to ensure Rochdale maintains its position as a key contributor to the Greater Manchester Skills landscape, as well as its future efforts to capitalise on the government's push for apprenticeships and skilled employees.

Hopwood Hall College's Apprenticeship team work with hundreds of employers and the College's Technology Centre represents one of the best facilities in the North West for students studying trades-based courses. The event will give employers and local government the opportunity to see the grassroots level of skilled professions.

Hopwood Hall College’s Vice Principal, Mark Hilton, said of the potential importance of the conference: “This event should be a mutually beneficial opportunity for both ourselves and employers. We want to provide a highly skilled labour force to drive growth and social mobility, employers want the right skills and attributes to be able to maximise employee potential.

“With the facilities we have we want to become the first choice for employers for all forms of training and development, whilst we also want employers to influence our own curriculum offer to best suit the employment landscape.

“Engaging with so many large employers should also provide our learners with unique opportunities to develop their skills in work experience placements, apprenticeships or jobs.”