Our Raising Aspirations team have worked to promote all routes of education, including technical education for the last 35 years. Through collaboration with young people, schools, colleges and stakeholders, we have a host of activities which promote opportunities for young people to learn and aspire for careers in a wide variety of industries.

Below, you will find how our activities support GMCA’s mission to see every young person growing up with a clear path and line of sight to the good jobs and training opportunities technical education has to offer.

For us, it’s important that young people have access to tools and experiences which help them understand the opportunities there are across Greater Manchester regarding future careers and the labour market information specific to Greater Manchester. Here at Salford Foundations, there are two clear ways we do this:

1. Beeline & the MBacc Gateways

GMCA are bringing the Greater Manchester system together using the seven MBacc gateways. Shaped by leading local employers, these gateways give a clear view of our local economy and help young people see the path to exciting opportunities in Greater Manchester’s fastest-growing sectors. The seven gateways are:

• 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

The MBacc’s groundbreaking digital tool, Beeline, creates a clear line of sight to real jobs in Greater Manchester at the end of each MBacc gateway. Beeline shows what each job involves, the courses and qualifications needed to do it, how much demand there is for the role and, crucially, what it pays.

For us, our role is to not only share the Beeline tool with young people through our activities, but also to help them clearly identify which gateways are offered through the activities we offer through our Kickstart Your Future and Inclusive Futures activities.

2. Workplace Visits & Exhibitions

At Salford Foundation, we believe that an experience can shape a young person’s decision making for their future, which is why we are committed to providing young people with opportunities to experience the workplace and the chance to encounter employers in the real working world. For that reason, we believe we have created opportunities for young people to be introduced to the workplace, inspired about future careers and a chance to explore more deep and meaningful questions they have about the world of work. All of this inline with the Equalex Framework.

Our Workplace Visits are designed for young people to be introduced to the working world, understand the opportunities available to them and to leave inspired about the possibilities for their futures in work.

Our Workplace Exhibition go one step further by not only inspiring young people, but allowing room to ask deeper and more meaningful questions, whilst being able to explore a business or industry further. We’re keen for young people to understand the range of roles available and the growing sectors and changing economy across GM, whilst developing those skills which matter to employers and will help young people enter the workforce ready.

We recognise that many young people struggle to transition from education and into the workforce because they do not have the necessary skills employers are looking for. At Salford Foundation, we want all young people to have the opportunity to develop transferable skills and to thrive as they progress into the world of work. Through our Raising Aspirations team, we offer a host of activities which not only support the MBacc Gateways, but help young people gain the essential skills needed for life and careers.

1. Employability Skills like CV Writing, Interview Preparation and Entrepreneurship are offered through our Mock Interview, Interview Ready and EntrepreNOW activities.

2. Transferable Skills like Communication, Teambuilding, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are at the forefront of all the activities we offer, especially our Raising Aspirations Mentoring and our STEM Days.

3. Financial Literacy for most, is never spoken about in school, so we deliver our Money Matters programme in high schools, colleges and community groups all over Greater Manchester.