Foreword

Levelling up is a phrase we have heard a lot lately. It has been the subject of constant debate between regional and national politicians. But what everyone should be able to agree on is that at the heart of the levelling up agenda, irrespective of your political persuasion, is opportunity.

It is about people being given the opportunity to achieve their potential irrespective of where they live, their economic circumstances, their social background, their ethnicity or indeed any characteristic.

Opening up the channels of opportunity is something that we at Manchester Met have been playing an active role in for many years, a role in which we are proud to be pioneers in many instances. We were at the forefront of the introduction of degree apprenticeships in 2015, a new way of learning while you earn. Seven years later we have more than 2,500 apprentices on a range of programmes at Bachelor and Masters level, and have partnered with more than 500 employers, including the likes of Lloyds, Astra Zeneca, Barclays, IBM, Siemens, and Bentley, as well as local small and medium enterprises.

But most importantly is the evidence that this route to a degree is fuelling social mobility, increasing life chances, and driving aspiration in new and mature learners. In comparison to standard undergraduate degrees, our degree apprenticeships have far greater representation of students who are the first in their family to study for a degree, from low socio-economic backgrounds, and who identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic.

These degree apprenticeships are delivering on the goals set out when they were first introduced, and we are proud to be a sector leader, in terms of the quality as well as scale. I recently welcomed Michelle Donelan MP, Minister for Higher and Further Education to the University, who commented that Manchester Metropolitan is setting the blueprint for others to follow.

We will continue to develop that blueprint and have bold ambitions to increase of degree apprenticeship numbers by more than 50 per cent by 2025.

And our pioneering work does not end there. It was recently announced that we will be a pilot institution for the Government’s plans around the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE).

The LLE is the cornerstone of the Government’s Education White Paper and will enable anybody to access up to four years of student loans support to enable upskilling and reskilling through smaller unit- or module-based learning. These shorter courses will allow people to build up learning over their lifetime with a choice of how, when and where they want to develop new skills.

Although the LLE will not be introduced until 2025, we are one of 22 institutions that will begin delivering short programmes from September 2022.

The LLE has exciting potential and gives us the opportunity to identify where there is sector demand in terms of skills shortages and then build demand among learners to take advantage of those jobs. A big focus for us will be in digital skills, spanning both the arts and technology.

The success of LLE will be in bringing together the interests of employers and education providers with the aspirations of learners.

The development of these skills pipelines is one of the two core aims of the University’s future strategy – delivering highquality education that produces the best possible outcomes for learners and employers. You can find out more about our skills agenda in this edition of the magazine.

Our other aim centres on delivering sector-leading research that has impact regionally, nationally and globally, and I hope you enjoying learning more about our work in the pages that follow. This ranges from ensuring resilience to tackle the effects of climate change to the fascinating world of accents and language; from tackling inequality in the criminal justice system to ensuring we can all age well and live longer.

You can also find out about our new Institute of Sport, our state-of-the-art facility that will help us achieve our ambition to become a global force in research into sport, exercise and wellbeing, from elite athletic performance to community-wide public health initiatives. It will be a new and important addition to a city that is recognised globally for its sporting prowess.

Enjoy the magazine. If you want to find out more about our work or you believe that together we can change lives and deliver lasting impact, please do not hesitate to contact me.