A commission to improve people's skills, job prospects and help businesses was launched in Bury in 2016.
The Bury Life Chances Commission aims to ensure that schools, colleges and companies work together so that young people of all abilities can maximise their potential and employment opportunities. The commission will also look at helping adults to retrain and up-skill so that they are 'employable for life' in an era when the days of a life-long job are largely over.
The chairperson for the Commission is former Bury man Philip Collins, a former student of Bury Grammar School and columnist at the The Times.
Bury Commission on Life Chances report
The report, sets out 25 recommendations to improve the life chances of Bury residents and the Borough's economy and prosperity. The recommendations in the 'Bury Commission on Life Chances' report, include a range of proposals for Bury Council and partner action.
Bury Life Chances Commission - background information
Why do we need Bury Life Chances Commission?
Team Bury's vision is for Bury to be the business and entrepreneurial capital of the North West. Supporting its residents, especially young people, will be crucial in ensuring they are well placed to take advantage of these emerging opportunities. Bury already has some of the best schools and colleges in the North West. However, further improving educational attainment and skills will be a key factor in attracting high quality employment to the area.
Through the Bury Life Chances Commission our aim is to:
- give everyone the best chances in life and do more to help everyone fulfil their potential;
- be ambitious and grasp the opportunities that devolution of powers to Greater Manchester will bring;
- build on the skills of our population which is one of the most highly skilled in Greater Manchester;
- create new opportunities in Bury and beyond; and
- become a hub for the highly skilled to the benefit of our borough, Greater Manchester and wider.
Initially the Commission conducted an audit of life chances throughout Bury and made recommendations on how they could be improved. The Commission also considered how Bury Council, partner organisations and other interested parties could work together to tackle:
- inequality of opportunity within the borough;
- poverty within some of our neighbourhoods; and
- better align education, skills and employment.