The provison for a Greater Manchesrer Careers Application Platform - Suppler Engagement session

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has committed to the development and implementation of a digital platform for young people in Greater Manchester, to help them understand, navigate and apply for a wide range of learning and training opportunities offered in the city-region. The creation of this new system will significantly contribute to Greater Manchester’s ambitions for a reformed technical education system by making the world of work more accessible and by aligning talent to future business needs.

The overarching aim of the GM-CAP is to create a single, digital platform that helps young people to make appropriate and effective decisions about their future careers in Greater Manchester. By developing a comprehensive online system that addresses the needs of a wide range of stakeholders in the city-region, we expect the Platform to:

1) Deliver on the Mayoral Manifesto to introduce a "UCAS-style application process" for apprenticeships and technical education, providing young people with the same line of sight offered for academic pathways.

2) Improve young people’s access to encounters and opportunities offered by employers, business professionals and the voluntary and community sector (e.g. work experience/shadowing, mentoring, volunteering, enrichment).

3) Underpin the development of a 'Curriculum for Life‘ for all young people in Greater Manchester, enabling them to capture and develop personal skills and competencies that can be showcased to prospective employers and learning providers.

4) Improve young people’s knowledge and awareness of jobs and career opportunities offered in the city-region, creating a closer alignment between young people’s career aspirations and the local labour market.

5) Help to address social and systematic inequalities, by providing functionality and resources that help to challenge stereotypes, raise aspirations and narrow the disadvantage gap.

6) Improve progression and retention at key transition points, by supporting and simplifying the way information about young people (and their support needs) is captured and shared by learning providers and support organisations.