Greater Manchester Baccalaureate opens door to vital public service careers

• Reform of technical education in Greater Manchester offers young people a direct route into NHS and public transport careers 

• Health and care organisations across Greater Manchester pledge 400 T Level placements including NHS midwifery placements for the first time in Oldham, along with new pledges from The Christie, Pennine Care and 15 other health and care organisations in the region  

• Bee Network operators from across bus, tram and train pledge 160 new T Level and apprenticeship opportunities  

• Greater Manchester leads the way in T Levels, with pass rates (94%) well above the national average (88.7%) 

• Mayor Andy Burnham urges employers to sign up to host T Level students as city-region works to create hundreds more placements by September  

THE Greater Manchester Baccalaureate is giving young people a clear route into vital public service careers, thanks to a new T Level placement scheme.    

Employers and colleges have come together to create hundreds of high-quality opportunities working in the NHS and across the Bee Network, our integrated public transport system.  

These include Greater Manchester’s first T Level placements in midwifery at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, as well as new placement pledges from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, (the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe), Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, and other health and care organisations.  

The placements are part of a plan to make it easier for young people to pursue a technical education through the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, or MBacc.  

Co-designed with education and business leaders and with young people themselves, the MBacc draws on local labour market data to guide learners to sectors that are growing in Greater Manchester.  

T Levels are one of the key technical education pathways that make up the MBacc. Typically studied over two years, by 16-19-year-olds, they are equivalent to three A Levels.  

T Level students spend 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% on an industry placement, which lasts a minimum of 45 days. These placements are designed to give students real-world experience in their chosen sector, helping them to move into jobs, apprenticeships or higher education. 

Hands-on work experience is hard-wired into the MBacc and, by September, students will be able to choose between hundreds of T Level placements across the city-region. 

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Bee Network bus operators, Network Rail and train operating companies have pledged to create 160 new T Level and apprenticeship placements in 2025, including in engineering, transport operations, and project support.  

Increasing numbers of health and care providers are offering at least 400 placements across both clinical and non-clinical roles, including placements in infection control and chemotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and plumbing and electrical engineering at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.  

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“These placements show that our MBacc offers a genuine alternative to the university route. When you look at the kinds of placements on offer – from engineering to midwifery and chemotherapy – it's clear that a technical education opens doors to top professions.  

“The opening up of more than 300 prestigious opportunities in our best-known public services will be a game-changer for many young people, creating a ladder into great careers which they might otherwise have struggled to access. At the same time, we’re creating the skilled workforce our economy and public services need.  

“This is what devolution is all about, doing things differently to deliver better outcomes for everyone. The Growth Company has done groundbreaking work to drive up the number of placements from our major employers. With further devolution of post-16 education, we could unlock even more opportunities.

“I’d like to thank all those employers who’ve already pledged to create T Level placements and apprenticeships, and I’d urge more to get involved – so we can help our young people and our economy to fulfil their potential.” 

T Levels are thriving in Greater Manchester. Last year, the number of T Level learners here increased by 42%. The city region also saw a 94% pass rate, well above the national average 88.7% and, thanks to the exceptional work of Greater Manchester colleges, 68% of our learners achieved top grades, outperforming the national average of 62.7%.  

New midwifery placements open in the NHS 

A group of Oldham College students are the first in Greater Manchester to begin T Level midwifery placements within the NHS. Working alongside maternity teams at the Royal Oldham Hospital, which is part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, they’re gaining hands-on experience on wards with extended clinical placements set to begin in September.  

The programme was developed through a collaboration between NHS Greater Manchester, the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Oldham College, the Gatsby Foundation, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). It’s backed by devolved investment and designed to help meet critical NHS workforce shortages, while giving students the confidence and experience to pursue rewarding careers in health and care. 

Romiejay Williams, a Midwifery T Level student at Oldham College, said: 

“T Levels have given me the chance to learn in the classroom and on the job which has made all the difference. Being on placement has helped me understand what it’s really like to work in the NHS and what skills I need. It’s made my goals feel real and reachable, and I know I’m gaining experience that will help me wherever I go next.”   

Peter James, Programme Leader - Health and Social Care (Advanced Curriculum) at Oldham College, said:

“T Levels are a game-changer for both young people and employers. They help students build the skills, confidence and real-world experience they need to succeed while addressing critical workforce gaps in sectors like health and social care. By working closely with local employers, we’re proud to support a generation to step into vital careers especially in the NHS where they are needed most.”  
 

Bee Network pledges 160 new T Level and apprenticeship opportunities 

Just like the NHS, Greater Manchester’s transport system is playing a key role in preparing young people for vital public service careers. The Bee Network, the city-region’s joined up transport system is backing Greater Manchester’s technical education mission by creating more routes into the sector.

A new pledge from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Bee Network operators, Network Rail and train operating companies will create 160 new T Level and apprenticeship placements in 2025, including in engineering, transport operations, and project support. As the Bee Network expands, several job opportunities will be created across these technical occupations. 

Operators are also working with schools and colleges to promote careers in transport, support underrepresented groups, and feed into GMCA’s skills forecasting work – helping align training to future workforce needs.  

Bee Network operators signed an open letter of support recognising the need to grow the technical workforce in Greater Manchester and the benefit of working together to achieve this.  
From NHS midwifery to transport and beyond, Greater Manchester’s approach is showing how technical education can respond to local priorities and long-term workforce needs. 

To explore T Level options and career pathways, visit the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship and Careers Services (GMACS) GMACS | Inspire, Explore, Apply | The Greater Manchester Apprenticeship & Careers Service 

Notes to editors

Open letter from Bee Network operators on their support for technical education here: Bee Network Operators Support for Technical Education - Letter - Greater Manchester Combined Authority 

Employers can sign up to host T Level placements and apprenticeships here: T Levels | Placement pledge 

For further information on the NHS midwifery placements, see the NHS GM release here: Greater Manchester launches T Level midwifery placements to grow local NHS talent 

Article Published: 05/06/2025 12:52 PM