Behind-the-scenes access to the world of work to be offered to 1,000 Greater Manchester youngsters

One thousand young people from across Greater Manchester are to be offered the chance to gain a taste of the world of work by stepping into the shoes of some of the city-region’s biggest and most influential businesspeople.

Meet Your Future is the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s flagship campaign to give young people workplace shadowing opportunities showcasing the amazing breadth of careers across Greater Manchester.

In partnership with The Careers & Enterprise Company and building on work across the city-region through BridgeGM, Meet Your Future enables businesses from all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs to meet their potential future workforce and gain a unique insight into the skills and talents young people have. 

For the young people involved, Meet Your Future is a chance to make contact with businesses and individuals as well as getting inspired about a future living and working in the city-region.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “When I left university and started looking for a job in Greater Manchester I remember how hard it was to get some experience on my CV. Opportunities seemed to go to people whose parents had the most connections.

“That’s why I wanted to create this ground-breaking work shadowing scheme. I want every young person growing up in our city-region to have a chance to break into the industry of their choice and gain the confidence that can come from successful work shadowing.”

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and partners will lead the race to get the 50 initial businesses to open their doors to support a steady stream of young people into a work shadowing opportunities. The ultimate target is opportunities available in a variety of business environments, up to 1,000 by 2020.

Cllr Sean Fielding, GMCA Lead for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships, added: “In Greater Manchester we will change the way young people enter further education or start work, helping to make our city-region one of the best places to grow up and get on.

“This is about opening the door to allow all young people the opportunity to experience the world of work and test careers they never knew existed.

“It’s also a great way for employers to commit and become part of the Bridge GM Community which aims to offer a young person an experience of the world of work in whichever way suits the business. This is not only important for work shadowing but it will also support future connections that we want to help forge such as building up Enterprise Adviser Network, the UCAS-style system, Opportunity Pass and industry placements.”

In order to maximise Meet Your Future’s impact, businesses and education providers across Greater Manchester will be supported with the necessary tools to make their work shadowing a success over the coming months, connecting that talent pipeline to the skills needs across Greater Manchester and supporting young people to be life ready. 

Mo Isap of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership said: “This is an incredible opportunity for employers and business leaders in Greater Manchester to provide access to their world for a short while and in doing so inspire and future-proof talent in our region.”

The recent launch event also publically formalised the strong partnerships the GMCA has with the Careers and Enterprise Company, the LEP, the Greater Manchester College Group, the Chamber of Commerce and Northern Power Women, Growth Hub as well as the Youth Combined Authority working together to support young people.

Meet Your Future builds upon a commitment to deliver for the city-region’s young people; earlier this month a ground-breaking new UCAS-style system aimed at helping young people across Greater Manchester gain access to apprenticeships, technical training or other employment opportunities moved a step closer to reality. The launch of a new streamlined online system is slated for the autumn.

In addition to assessing and applying for opportunities, the UCAS-style system will enable users to develop a Curriculum for Life, where young people will own and develop a digital portfolio, acting as a showcase to prospective employers demonstrating skills, experience and examples of past work in addition to academic qualifications.

The Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority has made experiences of the world of work its priority as part of their work on a Curriculum for Life. The Bridge GM team at the GMCA has helped prepare the ground, working in partnership with schools and colleges as well as the Bridge GM community of businesses to help make those connections a reality.

Article Published: 01/05/2019 11:22 AM