Andy Burnham discusses need to nurture homegrown talent to meet demands of Manchester’s rapid growth

Recruitment specialist, Reed’s Manchester team, welcomed guests including Mayor Andy Burnham, CEO of Manchester Central, Lori Hoinkes, and Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP, Andrew Moore, for an insightful breakfast discussion on the future of Greater Manchester and the North West’s business landscape.

Reed hosted the event to delve into key factors shaping the region’s economic growth and job market, providing insights for businesses and professionals alike. On the back of the recent budget and changes to employment laws, Reed’s event gave attendees the opportunity to hear more about how the mayor and local businesses intend to shape the future of the region.

Speaking at the breakfast event at the Emirates Old Trafford ground, Andy Burnham outlined his passion for nurturing young people in the region and focusing on homegrown talent to meet the demands of the area’s rapid growth.

“Manchester is the fastest growing city outside of London, and it’s vital we focus on growing the regional talent to keep up with the demand of major employers that have moved to the city in recent decades, including Lastminute.com, Bank of New York and the BBC.

“Historically, within the world of work, there has been a heavy focus on the university route, but that is doing a disservice to a lot of the young people in the area. We’ve been working on creating an equal alternative to the university route for young people in the region, the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate.

“Many people have relocated to Greater Manchester for work, including 10,000 workers from London in the past three years alone. However, we want to open it up for our young people in the region. Many will see the growing skyline from their bedroom windows, but don’t know how to access the jobs available or aren’t aware of the opportunities here in the city and surrounding boroughs.

“We’ve launched an innovative tool called Beeline that signposts young people aged 14-19 to jobs, training and apprenticeships that gives them insight into roles of the future. This helps them to see the pathway within their education and signposts what they need to do to get into these roles, whether its T Levels or apprenticeships.”

However, the Mayor underlined the crucial role of regional businesses in this approach, highlighting that employers needed to be in the driving seat when it came to looking at talent coming from alternative educational routes, not just graduates.

“The world of employment is challenging. Integrating and nurturing the skills of our region’s talent will give us a competitive advantage for the foreseeable future, allowing us to further promote Manchester and the North West and attract further investment.”