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Greater Manchester’s Devolution Journey

Greater Manchester (GM) has been a pioneer in English devolution, gaining powers over transport, housing, policing, and—crucially—employment and skills. With the latest devolution deal, GM now has even more control over:

  • Adult skills funding
  • Careers provision
  • Employment support programmes

This means local leaders can shape services to better meet the needs of residents and businesses.

A new era for skills and education

The Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) is a new technical education pathway introduced by the Mayor of GM. It aims to:

  • Create parity between academic and technical routes
  • Offer young people more flexible and practical career options
  • Align education with real-world job opportunities

This shift supports Bury’s ambition to build a hyper-local work and skills system that reflects the borough’s unique needs.

Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP)

The LSIP is a key tool for aligning education with employer needs. In Bury, businesses identified the following top training priorities:

  • Basic functional skills (32.2%)
  • Sales and business development (26%)
  • Leadership and management (24%)
  • ICT and digital marketing skills (21–24%)
  • Customer service (21.9%)

These insights are shaping how Bury delivers training and education to meet current and future demand.

Planning for future growth

Bury’s strategy is also forward-looking. It considers:

  • Inward investment and new developments like Northern Gateway
  • Transport improvements that make commuting easier
  • The need for a flexible, responsive education system that can adapt to new industries and technologies

Integration with local policy

The strategy is deeply connected to other local plans, including:

In summary

Bury is using its place within Greater Manchester to:

  • Shape local services through devolved powers
  • Align education with business needs
  • Create inclusive opportunities for all residents
  • Build a thriving, resilient economy

This sets the stage for the strategy’s three main objectives, which are designed to turn these ambitions into action.