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Andy Burnham unveils new ‘MBacc’ qualification offering Greater Manchester students a university alternative

"If we don’t make this change now, it could be the single biggest barrier to future growth."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 17th July 2024

Andy Burnham has unveiled plans for a new ‘MBacc’ qualification offering Greater Manchester students a university alternative.

It’s been exactly a year since the Greater Manchester Mayor set out his ambitious plan to create what he has called a “genuine and equal alternative to the university route” for high school students in our region – with the term ‘MBacc’ as we know it explained further towards the end of last year as part of a wider vision for 2024.

Since then, Mr Burnham says he has worked with education and business leaders throughout the region, as well as young people themselves, to design seven MBacc ‘gateways’ which are each linked to a sector that is growing in Greater Manchester. 

And now, the Mayor has finally announced, for the first time, his vision for the core MBacc subjects that will underpin those seven ‘gateways’, and ultimately, provide young people with what he hopes is “a clear line of sight” from the age of 14.

The seven ‘gateways’ of the MBacc, which Andy Burnham says each align with growth sectors in the Greater Manchester economy, are Health and Social Care, Digital and Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing, Construction and the Green Economy, Financial and Professional, Education and Early Years, and finally, Creative, Culture and Sport.

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The core MBacc subjects are to be the three core English Baccalaureate subjects, English Language and Literature, Maths, and Sciences, as well as the addition of ICT.

When it comes to optional subjects, the MBacc will offer Engineering, Design & Technology, Business Studies, Drama, Music, and Performing Arts, while the EBacc is known for focusing more on modern foreign languages and humanities subjects.

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Andy Burnham has unveiled a new ‘MBacc’ qualification to offer Greater Manchester students a university alternative / Credit: GMCA | gov.uk

Unlike the English Baccalaureate – which is geared towards the subjects that the UK’s top universities value – however, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says each MBacc gateway will instead guide young people to the subjects and qualifications that are currently most valued by our region’s employers.

“For too long, the English education system has been built around the needs of just a third of young people who go to university,” Mayor Andy Burnham commented as he unveiled the MBacc last week.

“That means that every year, thousands go through school without a clear path into a good career.

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“Our answer is the MBacc – a game-changing new plan for technical education. We’re using our devolved powers to reset the scales and give young people a clear line of sight to good jobs and the steps that will take them there.”

Mr Burnham says he believes that if we don’t make this change now, it could end up being “the single biggest barrier to future growth” and also to the “life chances” of Greater Manchester’s young people.

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“The needs of our economy are changing, and right now the system is not capable of keeping pace and meeting the needs of businesses or the ambitions of the next generation.”

Featured Image – gov.uk

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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Oasis ticket prices revealed ahead of huge reunion tour. Credit: Publicity picture, Simon Emmett

Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.

The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.

Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.

For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.

They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.

You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.

And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.

THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.

This is the full statement shared by Oasis:

“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.

“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.

“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.

“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.

“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.

“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.

“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.

“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”

Featured image: Simon Emmett

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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.

The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.

That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.

Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.

For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.

Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group

Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.

And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.

Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.

According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.

As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.

The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:

Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.

“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.

“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”

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Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.

“This is completely unacceptable.”

Featured Image – Manchester Airport Group

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