The Work and Skills Team at Manchester City Council have been working on a number of different projects whilst continuing to support businesses and residents across Manchester.

The closure of schools and community groups, as well as the wider consequences of the lockdown, have meant that at least in the short term many organisation’s corporate social responsibilities may have been adapted or put on hold altogether; however with the construction industry slowly getting back up and running and the country exiting lockdown we hope that soon you and your colleagues will be able to pick up some semblance of normal and regular work.

The Work and Skills Team at Manchester City Council has a number of current opportunities and avenues of work for Manchester businesses to explore. Most of these opportunities are now virtual:

STEM Ambassador Training
This is an opportunity to sign up as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) Ambassador, run through the Science & Industry Museum, Castlefield, where you can give as many hours over the year as you like. STEM Ambassadors are from a wide range of jobs and backgrounds and are there to enrich young people’s knowledge of the range of STEM roles through a variety of activities in and out of the classroom. This role will involve completing a DBS check and a 45 minute online induction. Further information is available here.

Brightside
If you want the chance to inspire a young person and offer them knowledge and guidance then becoming a Brightside mentor may just be the right thing for your organisation. Brightside online mentors come from a variety of sectors with varying degrees of experience, but they all have in common a willingness to promote social change through mentoring. To find our more visit Brightside’s website. Brightside also offers you the opportunity to give groups of young people online talks; you can read more about this here.

The Manchester College Virtual Work Experience
In response to COVID-19 and its impact on learners, The Manchester College have begun to offer virtual work experience to its students so as to ensure that learners are still gaining a valuable insight into the world of work whilst remaining safe in their own homes. If you would be interested in getting involved with this exciting and innovative new project, you can contact Faye Chilekwa at FChilekwa@tmc.ac.uk

Your Offer to Schools
If you have any particular offers that you would like to make to schools and colleges across Manchester, these can be included in the weekly CEIAG newsletter. If you have other ways in which you want to get involved, contact m.obrien1@manchester.gov.uk