Andy Burnham sets out plans for integrated technical education system for Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham wants to set up the UK’s first integrated technical education system, giving school leavers who don’t want to go to university a clear route.

The Greater Manchester mayor said that by working with the government, local colleges and businesses, the new system would be a ‘game-changer’.

Backed by all technical education colleges in the city-region as well as a body which represents businesses, the aim is to offer three clear routes to young people when they reach the age of 16: A Levels, T Levels or apprenticeships.

Employers would be at the heart of the European-style system to ensure opportunities are available to train in the skills the economy needs most.

Mr Burnham said this is the ‘biggest missing piece in the jigsaw’ in devolution for Greater Manchester and warned that without it, economic growth is at risk.

He said: “For young people growing up in Greater Manchester, if they’re on the university route, they have clarity on what lies ahead and the things they have to do and the way they progress to find opportunities they want to pursue.

“For those not on the university route, it’s nothing like as clear.

“We believe that has to be fixed if we are to ensure that we have got the skills we need in our economy going forward.

“And also if we’re able to continue to bring big investors here to base themselves in the city-region, they will want assurance that we’ve got that talent pipeline that will constantly come through.”

It comes as the Labour mayor calls for more control over the post-16 skills and training system in the trailblazer devolution talks set to conclude in January.

Local leaders want more influence over the technical education and training opportunities available to people from the age of 16 onwards, saying they would work with employers to build a workforce that has the skills required.

This includes investment in industries such as the digital, technology and life science sectors as well as the green economy such as for retrofitting homes.

However, Greater Manchester does not want to go it alone, but instead, work with the government to create a template for the rest of the country to follow.

Bury council leader Eamonn O’Brien who leads on Education, Skills, Work, Apprenticeships and Digital at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), believes this could ‘unlock’ even more than the original devolution deal did.

He said: “This isn’t Greater Manchester wanting to do our own thing.

“This is us saying we are a partner in a mission to improve the lives of people in this country and we believe that we can do that in Greater Manchester and hopefully through that, improve the lives of many other people in this country.”

Mr Burnham said the new system does not necessarily need more funding, but would help local employers make the most of the national T Level qualification.

Manchester College principal Lisa O’Loughlin, who chairs the group which brings all technical education colleges in Greater Manchester together, said the qualification which requires employers’ involvement is difficult to deliver, but works best when employers use the programme as a two-year interview.

She said: “It takes time, but we can see those greenshoots.

“We absolutely can see the difference it’s making not only in terms of the outcomes students are achieving, but also in the interest it’s generating among parents and students.”

Clive Memmott, who is chief executive of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce which has also backed the bid, said that it will take time to change perceptions of technical education which have been ‘hardwired’ for decades.

He explained that different skills are needed in each area of the city-region, but by bringing businesses together, those gaps can be identified and filled.

Mr Burnham has written to the Education Secretary and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, inviting the government to work with Greater Manchester on the proposals described as a ‘game-changer’.

The letter was signed by the leaders of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Greater Manchester Colleges Group as well as Councillor O’Brien.

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporter