As part of #CollegesWeek activity, we are publishing our Manifesto for the 2024 Greater Manchester Mayoral Elections: Unlocking a skills revolution in Greater Manchester.
Our Manifesto outlines a series of actions the Mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority can take to realise the opportunities presented by the deeper devolution deal. These actions would ensure every young person and adult in GM can access the skills training they need to get high quality jobs within our city region.
Our proposals focus on four key areas:
1) Incentivising adult learning through an Adult Education Maintenance Allowance linked to Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) priorities as well as flexibility in funding rules for employers looking to upskill staff in priority sectors.
2) Build better employer partnerships: use the Good Employment Charter to increase commitment to work placements and co-design of curriculum, look at the positive impact of learning on mental health and work with other GM agencies to target improvements and move to an ‘employer informed system’ – a true partnership between employers, the CA and FE Providers, recognising the expertise of all partners and engaging them at the highest level of decision making in GM structures.
3) Unlocking capital to support growth: quicker access to capital funding to support both growth and up-to-date industry standard equipment is vital. Devolved capital monies and support with access to loans for colleges could provide fairer, quicker and more transparent access to funding for colleges
4) Supporting Colleges to do what they do best: ensure as much skills funding reaches the front line avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy, implement a multi-year funding settlement, join forces with colleges to tackle the staff recruitment and retention challenges, seek devolved funding to support further development of innovation funding through colleges to help grow businesses and maximise the skills budget in the single settlement.
By supporting these actions our next Mayor can really support colleges and the wider further education sector, to be a key partner in driving inclusive growth for all who live and work in Greater Manchester.
Read our full Manifesto here: Greater Manchester Mayoral Elections Manifesto 2024
