What is the MBacc? Andy Burnham's new qualification to help Greater Manchester 'achieve its full potential'
Fresh from his first visit to Downing Street under the new government, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham unveiled his ambitious plan for shaking up the local education system.
Speaking in front of a crowded room of education and business leaders from across Greater Manchester, he laid out the blueprints for the Manchester Baccalaureate, or MBacc. This is a proposed new technical qualification aimed at providing both young people with more opportunities, and local employers with the workforce needed to maintain the region’s development.
Visibly energised by the results of last week’s General Election, the mayor described this new political era as “unlike anything any of us has ever seen before,” with growth and devolution at the heart of it – two things directly linked to the MBacc, according to Burnham.
He said: “The thing about devolution is it allows you to join the dots that Whitehall just can't see. We can connect employers with the world of education - and that's why it's right to fix this issue at this particular level.
“The young people who study in our schools and our colleges, who can see the skyscrapers from their bedroom windows or where they live in Greater Manchester, they can see all that but they can't yet see a path for them to these places. This is our mission. If we achieve that, that's when Greater Manchester absolutely starts to achieve its full potential because all of our people are achieving their potential.”
Here is everything we know so far about the MBacc and what it could mean for young people in Greater Manchester.
What is the MBacc?
The MBacc is a qualification that students would opt to study in year nine, aged 14, as an alternative to the EBacc, which focuses more on academic subjects and the traditional path to university. Each student will be expected to complete 50 hours’ work experience between year nine and eleven.
It would still include the core subjects of English, maths, sciences and digital skills, as well as studies relating to seven different “gateways.” These are:
- Health and Social Care
- Digital and Technology
- Engineering and Manufacturing
- Construction and the Green Economy
- Financial and Professional
- Education and Early Years
- Creative, Culture and Sport
At 16, students would then have more opportunity to grow their skills through apprenticeships, T Levels, of which apprenticeships are also a feature, or other technical qualifications. It is envisioned that the traditional A-level and university routes would also still be available to them as well.
At 18, these young people will be ready to enter the workforce or continue training in their chosen fields. To help them on their way, numerous companies and organisations have signed up.
Why do we need the MBacc?
Andy Burnham argues that the current education system focuses too heavily on the traditional academic routes, when in fact two thirds of school leavers are not choosing to go to university. The idea behind the MBacc is to cater for those young people who don’t have a clear path within the existing system, but could benefit from a more technical education.
The mayor also shared how Greater Manchester would benefit from the introduction of the MBacc. According to Burnham, there were 235,000 job vacancies last year in Greater Manchester across the seven “gateway” industries outlined in the MBacc.
He described the new qualification to the press as an “integrated, employer-driven technical education system”. In other words, by supporting the MBacc and offering placements to young people, employers are effectively able to “commission” the education system into providing their workforce.
What’s next for the MBacc?
The rollout for the MBacc has been slated for September, with an additional 1,000 new “quality” work placements for T Level students.
While the total cost of the rollout is not clear,Burnham said that extra capital would be needed “to build out some of the learning space within our communities and our colleges.” He also said that some of the funding will come from “money already within the system”.
In terms of approval from central government, Burnham seemed optimistic that Greater Manchester has a "willing audience in the heart of government" – despite the previous government’s criticism of two-tier education systems like this. He said that he had spoken to the Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson about the MBacc and that he was confident that it falls “in line” with the wider Labour manifesto. Elsewhere, his counterparts in mayors’ offices across the country were also supportive of the plan and may be interested implementing similar schemes in their own city regions.