Member Article

Innovative new Greater Manchester partnership gets national platform

Programme leader to deliver Greater Manchester apprenticeship strategy at national apprenticeship conference

The Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Company (GMAC) is to join the likes of KPMG, Barclays, the NHS and the Skills Funding Agency at the sold out School Leavers & Apprentices Conference for Employers this week in London.

Hosted by Business Forums International (BFI), the conference will focus on the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 and will consider how businesses can implement and maximise school leaver and apprenticeship programmes to remain competitive.

GMAC will be represented by Programme Development and Delivery Manager Helen Hawxwell at the national conference, as she addresses the benefits of apprenticeships for businesses and shares the engagement strategies that have been implemented to support young people and businesses in Greater Manchester.

The GMAC partnership, which launched as a national first in June, is a collaboration between nine colleges from the Greater Manchester Colleges Group (GMCG), and leading training provider The Skills Company. Funded through the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Hub City Deal programme on behalf of the GMCA, the partnership aims to contribute to Greater Manchester’s Apprenticeship Strategy to drive the quality and volume of apprenticeship opportunities through the provision of excellent support and advice to young people.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s event, Helen Hawxwell, GMAC Programme Development and Delivery Manager, said: “With the current skills shortage ever widening and the imminent introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, it has never been more important for employers to understand the opportunities and benefits that recruiting an early talent pool can bring to their business. In Greater Manchester we are looking at both sides of the equation – working with young people in the region to prepare them to meet the needs of their future employers through the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Company, and also engaging and supporting employers to take on more apprentices through the new Apprenticeship Growth Service.

“These initiatives have a really important role to play in driving the economic growth of the region, and will be crucial to increasing productivity and boosting business growth once the Apprenticeship Levy comes into place.”

For more information about GMAC contact the project lead Helen Hawxwell (gmac@apprenticeshipgrowth.co.uk).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sabrina Manning .