Rewiring the Skills System: Will Burnham Take the MBacc National?

Burnham’s push for No 10 North and a devolved 14–19 offer promises new routes for young people; whether the MBacc becomes the model is now the critical debate

Andy Burnham’s emerging national agenda, as symbolised by the creation of No.10 North, signals a shift towards a more locally driven skills system with new 14–19 pathways and a renewed focus on reducing NEET rates across England. Greater Manchester’s flagship skills policy has been the MBacc, designed to align education with local economic priorities and strengthen employer partnerships. The question now is whether this model is being positioned to evolve beyond the city region and shape a national framework that aims to elevate technical routes and embed local labour market intelligence into the heart of the system.

Burnham’s National Project: No. 10 North

Andy Burnham is said to be planning a second centre of government in Manchester, No 10 North, as part of a wider overhaul of the Westminster system and measures to devolve power away from London. It is said that The Manchester Digital Campus, which was approved as part of the Government’s Places for Growth programme earlier this year, has been earmarked to eventually host around 8,800 civil servants, embedding decision‑making closer to northern communities.

Politically, this signals a decentralised model of governance where regional leaders and local employers have more influence over economic strategy, employment and skills. It’s a rebalanced state that treats local labour markets as the starting point for national policy. So, if local labour markets are to shape national policy, the next question is how the education and skills system will change to meet that reality.

Local skills systems & employer aligned pathways

Burnham has consistently argued that the current system fails too many young people and needs “rewiring” especially around the 14–19 phase.

His support for University Technical Colleges (UTCs) shows a commitment to technical education, employer partnerships, and parity of esteem between academic and vocational routes that many of us will readily get behind. It is worth noting that UTCs are central to delivering MBacc pathways.

The Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) aims to guarantee every young person growing up in the Manchester region has a clear path and line of sight to good jobs and training opportunities. It’s an initiative that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority have long championed.

Personally, I have my doubts about the MBacc as to whether it simply adds another layer to an already over-complex system, but a national skills strategy built from the ground up undoubtedly has an appeal. Especially if employers are genuinely embedded in curriculum design and progression routes.

Then might the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) model evolve beyond the city-region? Could it shape a national framework that elevates technical routes, strengthens employer partnerships, and aligns education with regional economic priorities? Even if the MBacc were to scale nationally, its real test would be whether it can reach the young people most at risk of falling through the gaps.

NEETs: tackling the “lost” cohort

Burnham’s education and skills focus responds directly to findings that traditional routes are not leading young people to positive destinations. Both the MBacc and UTC‑style pathways aim to reduce NEET rates by offering clearer vocational and technical options at age 14 and improving access to apprenticeships, thereby strengthening transitions into sustained employment.

This shift from remedial NEET interventions to preventative, structured pathways that start earlier and are shaped by local labour market demand is again something that many will welcome. But can MBaccs be scaled nationally?

Bacc beyond Manchester

The MBacc is Burnham’s flagship skills model for Greater Manchester, and whilst it is not without its concerns, there’s a logic behind it that is national. Employer designed pathways, technical and academic parity, regional economic alignment – these are all things that both providers and employers have long called for.

With Burnham poised to reshape national education policy, the MBacc could therefore become a template for other regions, adapting to local industries such as green tech in the Tees Valley; health innovation and the life science centres of Cambridge; and the advanced manufacturing of the Sheffield City region.

A future where England has multiple regional baccalaureates, with each tied to local economic strengths rather than a single national model, has its strengths, but there are also weaknesses. Most concerningly, a locally tailored MBacc could limit portability for individuals if employers elsewhere don’t recognise its pathways or if its curriculum is too tightly tied to local labour market needs.

The North as a testbed for reform

Burnham’s agenda represents a structural shift in how England thinks about skills, opportunity, and government itself. A Burnham education and skills system will be about devolving power and rebuilding local skills ecosystems. It will focus on creating meaningful pathways for young people and reducing NEET rates through earlier, clearer choices. But is Manchester the prototype for a new national education and skills approach? We shall have to wait and see.

By Rob West, an Education and Skills Consultant