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

Two years ago I stood at the back of a lecture hall at Manchester Hall, sipping my coffee and watching Andy Burnham explain his vision for transforming technical education in Manchester.

He had announced his plans for the Manchester Baccalaureate, or MBacc, a year earlier and, armed with PowerPoint slides and guest speakers, was running in and out in front of a room full of education and business leaders.

Now as prime minister, Burnham has announced plans to take the idea national and overhaul the technical education system across England.

At this stage details are still scant. We know this will involve giving students the option to study more vocational courses and gain work experience from Year 10, but it is still unknown how this will work in practice.

One thing is certain, the thinking and passion behind this is the same that underpins the MBacc: a determination to give young people a clear, step-by-step path to more practical and technical jobs.

The problem is that MBacc itself can be a pretty difficult concept to get your head around if you’re not familiar with it.

Let’s be clear from the start: this is not just another type of qualification like the T-levels and V-levels that have been announced in the UK in recent years.

Instead, it is a framework that aims to provide young people with a “clear line of sight towards good jobs” in vocational and technical fields.

The best way to think of it is as a step-by-step route (imagine a flowchart) that young people can follow from school to any technical career.

It was established in parallel with a more clearly defined academic route. During the conference event in July 2024, Burnham and other speakers made clear that those looking to work at a desk could follow a well-trodden path of GCSEs, A levels and a university degree.

However, for those who want a more practical career, the situation is much more complicated.

The MBacc is seen as an effort to simplify this landscape by explaining to young people who want to pursue more vocational or technical careers what courses they can take, and ensuring they have the opportunity to take these courses alongside practical work experience.

It explains career paths in seven different categories:

Since MBacc is still in its infancy, it is difficult to measure its success.

It aims to achieve its mission of guaranteeing every young person a clear path to good jobs by 2030. By 2035, it is aimed for every young person to have 45 days of work experience when they turn 19.

According to the latest data, MBacc has been rolled out in 101 secondary schools and colleges in Greater Manchester – around 40% of the total.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority says 1,405 young people have accessed workplace experience in its second year.

Time will tell how transformative this will be when these young people leave school and enter the world of work.