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Workstream

A clear line of sight to high-quality jobs

Removing barriers to good employment will help reduce poverty, improve health and boost the economy by closing critical skills gaps.

Greater Manchester will be the UK’s leading engine of social mobility, with all young people having a clear path towards a good job in our growing economy.

A transformed technical education system via the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) will give young people a clear line of sight to high-quality jobs in sectors that are growing in our city-region, as well as increased access to essential life and work skills, growing their sense of hope and optimism for the future.

Co-designed with young people, education and business leaders, the MBacc draws on local labour market data to guide young people to our growth sectors, from digital and technology, to engineering and manufacturing, as well as local government, emergency services and transport jobs.

We’ll also create better access to good jobs, with support to upskill and reskill, with a commitment to raise our employment rate. We’ll do this by building people’s confidence and basic skills to enable more people to consider moving into work, and helping 50,000 more residents to enter, sustain and progress in work

Case study

The BeeLine

Electina, a year 11 pupil from Tameside, is expanding her education and career horizons thanks to Beeline and her school’s involvement in the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (Mbacc). Beeline is digital tool to give young people in Greater Manchester a clear line of sight to real jobs in the city region's growing economy. Follow Electina as she tells us how Beeline has helped her broaden her aspirations and joins her teacher on a trip into Manchester city centre to meet one of the big employers already offering exciting opportunities via technical education routes.

"There is like a clear pathway for me to use. And it shows the steps I need to take. And, the interesting, unique career opportunities that are available."

[Electina Fernando, Year 11 pupil, Rayner Stephens High School]

Electina: Hi. I'm Electina, pupil at Rayner Stephens and I'm here to tell you about Beeline and careers education.

I'm in Year 11 and I'm thinking about my next options. I would say it's really hard to find the career opportunities that are actually available in the real world.

As a Year 11, it's quite hard to find because the information's like scattered everywhere, and it's really hard to find everything on one website.

I was introduced to Beeline in September and when I went to the Beeline website, I looked for each gateway and the similar jobs there are in each gateway and the one I wanted to pick was financial and professional.

And when I click it, it instantly comes up with what I should do at 14 years old and 16 years old and what I can do at 18 years old. It's really easy to use.

There is like a clear pathway for me to use. And it shows the steps I need to take. And, the interesting, unique career opportunities that are available. And it's quite cool.

[Jess Heap, Associate Assistant Headteacher, Rayner Stephens High School]

Jess Heap: My name's Jess Heap. I'm an assistant head teacher here at Rayner Stephens High School.

Careers education has always been important, but I think with the introduction of the Greater Manchester baccalaureate and that clear pathway towards technical education, it's meant that as an educator, we've been able to see a much clearer route for our students who are looking for things at degree level but don't necessarily want to go to university or are put off with the idea of university.

Electina: We're in Manchester city center and I'm outside AtkinsRéalis And I'm really excited to go inside.

[Jess Bates, Skills, Empoyment and Education Lead at AtkinsRéalis]

Jess Bates: So AtkinsRéalis is really leaning into the skills system by creating a portfolio of opportunity that will support learners across their educational journey.

We have this philosophy, and our skills campaign is very much around you can't be what you can't see. And that's not a lazy platitude It's a real call to arms to make sure that our colleagues are empowering young people to step outside of their lived experience and visualize themselves in our sector.

And we're also really leaning into the T Levels drive. And for AtkinsRéalis that means co-creating curriculum courses with local colleges where an educational environment can then be really enriching and relevant to the young people.

It also means that we can create a pipeline of talent straight from the classroom into entry level roles with AtkinsRéalis.

Electina: I feel very excited for the future, I feel very happy. Actually, just like great because I've been to this amazing company and the Beeline website actually helped me to find this pathway. So I hope you also enjoy using it.