Can Burnham's vision for Manchester's schools really work for the rest of England?

Two years ago, I was seated at the rear of a conference hall in Manchester, sipping coffee as Andy Burnham presented his plan to overhaul technical education across Greater Manchester. He had introduced the Manchester Baccalaureate – known as the MBacc – the previous year, using PowerPoint slides and guest speakers to outline the proposal before an audience of education and business leaders. Now, as prime minister, Burnham has announced that the MBacc will be rolled out nationwide, reshaping the technical education strategy for the whole of England. Details remain limited at this stage. The scheme will allow pupils to choose more vocational courses and undertake work‑based learning from Year 10, although the precise form it will take is still undecided. One certainty is that the underlying rationale and ambition mirror those of the MBacc: to give teenagers a clear, step‑by‑step pathway into skilled technical jobs. The concept can be difficult to grasp for those unfamiliar with it. To be clear from the outset, the MBacc is not a new qualification akin to the T‑levels or V-levels announced successful England in recent years. Instead, it is a framework designed to provide teenagers with a “clear line of sight to good jobs” in vocational and technical fields. The easiest way to picture it is as a step‑by‑step route – imagine a roadmap – that students can follow from school into a specific technical career. It runs parallel to a more clearly defined academic route. During the July 2024 event, Burnham and other speakers emphasized that those aiming for professional jobs can follow the well‑trodden path of GCSEs, A‑levels and a university degree. For students seeking more hands‑on careers, the landscape is far more complex. The MBacc seeks to simplify that landscape, spelling out for teenagers interested in vocational or technical work which courses they can study and ensuring they have the opportunity to combine those studies with practical work experience. It outlines pathways to careers in seven categories: - Construction and the green economy - Creative, culture and sport - Digital and technology - Education and early years - Financial, business and professional services - Health and social care - Manufacturing and engineering Because the MBacc is still in its infancy, measuring its success is challenging. It aims to guarantee every young person a clear route to good jobs by 2030. By 2035, the goal is for each young person to have completed 45 days of work‑based learning by the age of 19. According to the most recent data, the MBacc has been introduced in 101 secondary schools and colleges across Greater Manchester – roughly 40 percent of the total. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority reports that 1,405 young people accessed workplace experiences during the programme’s second year. Time will tell, as these teenagers leave school and enter the workforce, how transformative the initiative will prove to be.