Students to gain from apprentice 'revolution'

Photo: Darren Robinson

The Oldham College

THIS week saw the launch of a new partnership between 10 leading further education and skills providers in Greater Manchester - including Oldham College - to accelerate the uptake of apprenticeships in the region.

The ground-breaking partnership, which will be known as the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Company (GMAC), consists of nine colleges from the Greater Manchester Colleges Group including Oldham College, plus leading training provider The Skills Company. This unique collaboration will pool their knowledge and expertise to develop brand new resources and support - inspiring more students to take up an apprenticeship in their chosen career and accelerating apprenticeship growth in Greater Manchester.

Central to the partnership is the creation of a new careers portal focussed on apprenticeships. 'THIS IS ME' will be each student's online apprenticeship guru, available 24-7 with all the support they need to prepare for their future. The site will include helpful tips and words of wisdom from employers, a video-based mock interview feature, and an 'elevator pitch' builder to help students ace an interview.

Funded through the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Hub City Deal programme on behalf of GMCA, the partnership, alongside a range of other projects will contribute to GM's Apprenticeship Strategy and ambition to drive the quality and volume of apprenticeship opportunities through the provision of excellent support for young people.

Jayne Worthington, managing director of The Skills Company said: "There were almost 80,000 new apprentices recorded in the North West in 2014/15, the highest of any region in the UK, and Greater Manchester is the real driving force of this apprenticeship revolution through its innovative devolution deals and collaborative approach to driving up the standard of apprenticeships."

Marie Gilluley, principal and chief executive at Bolton College and speaking on behalf of the GMAC, said: "Further education colleges have a crucial role to play in supporting young people to invest in their skills. This partnership signals an unprecedented way of working; by pooling our expertise we will ensure our students across Greater Manchester have access to a quality apprenticeship, progress in their chosen career and achieve their aspirations."