100,000 young people find opportunities through GMACS

ACROSS Greater Manchester more than 100,000 young people have used the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship and Careers Service (GMACS) to find opportunities, access resources and directly apply for apprenticeships.

GMACS launched over 18 months ago, with the intention of being a UCAS-style system; a one-stop shop allowing users to search and apply directly for opportunities with businesses in the city-region. It also includes careers advice, skill-building workshops and a personality quiz designed to give people an idea of their compatibility with certain jobs. Since its creation, the platform has grown considerably to incorporate the concerns raised by young people through the Young Person’s Guarantee such as transitions into work and training, health and wellbeing, digital connectivity, transport safety and concerns around widening inequalities.

Over 90 schools and colleges are signed up with GMACS, where students are able to create a ‘Pupil Portfolio’ CV, monitor apprenticeship applications, use a career matchmaking tool and much more.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham Said: “We know that our young people have sacrificed a lot over the last 18 months, which is why GMACS is more important than ever. GMACS is a brilliant platform giving Greater Manchester’s young people a clear line of sight to their futures and careers. It is a one-stop shop for 11-30 year olds to explore their careers and search and apply for opportunities with businesses and colleges.

“With 100,000 users, GMACS is growing all the time. Our next step is to invite GM’s businesses and employers to register at least five job-related opportunities for young people on GMACS and give users a flavour of what’s on offer in the city-region.

“We’ve got young people growing up feeling they can’t work for these organisations, this has to change.”

Next week businesses across Greater Manchester are encouraged to attend the virtual ‘GMCA Pledge 5 Event’. The event aims to provide employers the chance to understand the challenges facing young people in the region, how they can get involved and how they can pledge their support. These opportunities pledged by businesses across the city-region will be hosted on GMACS, providing more chances for young people to explore different career paths and make informed decisions about their future. 

Click here to register for your free spot at the event.

Students from The Canterbury Centre in Salford, who regularly use GMACS said:

“GMACS helps to educate young people and shows them options that are on offer to them and what opportunities are available locally. I have used GMACS to look for opportunities and to find out what skills I need for the job I want. It provides lots of information for students to achieve their goals”.

“GMACS helps give you an idea of what your skills and interests can help you in the future. Knowing the jobs you can achieve using what you like is really helpful. I’ve used it to give me some ideas on future careers I may be able to pursue using my skills and interests. I’ve also gained some thoughts for the careers that match my interests which gives me the opportunity to research certain jobs further”.

GMACS also hosts the Meet Your Future Campaign, an incredibly successful work shadowing campaign launched by the Mayor of Greater Manchester in November 2020 and which has since seen over 51,499 young people tune in to hear from industry leaders on job opportunities, career paths and labour market information.