Greater Manchester's post-16 education system is broken and Andy Burnham wants to take control of it
manchestereveningnews.co.ukThe UK turns out way more hairdressers than it actually needs, former government Minister Lord David Sainsbury told an audience at Manchester's Science and Industry Museum this week.
Not just a few more - but something like 50% more hairdressers than our economy requires. And at the same time, a lack of skilled workers in the technical areas prized by industry is putting off big companies from investing in cities like Manchester's.
There are some 11,500 job vacancies in digital jobs across Greater Manchester and 54% of employers across the region cannot fill their job vacancies.
Clearly something is going wrong in the way the city's education system provides young people with the skills they need for the world of work, with many further education (FE) colleges equipping them with qualifications that employers don't need and that don't serve the city's wider interests.
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