New University Academy aims to tap secret of ‘class of ’92’

The new University Academy being set up by Manchester United FC’s ‘class of 92’ aims to learn the lessons of the club’s golden era, the institution’s Chief Executive has said. Craig Gaskell told the Greater Manchester Economic Growth Conference that students would learn a set of ‘fundamental life skills’ each year alongside their academic curriculum.

He said this approach was partly inspired by how Man U’s former manager had moulded a group of young players into the nucleus of the team that dominated English football for more than a decade: “This was a set of people with great talent but under Sir Alex Ferguson these very talented young people were taught how to develop their character to handle massive pressure. There was something more fundamental than being a great footballer.”

The University Academy would also take lessons from how the independent school sector fosters self-confidence, he said: “They take children that are not necessarily brighter but they are confident and can communicate better. It’s essential we develop that confidence and ability to be in the work place.”

Professor Helen Marshall, Vice Chancellor of the University of Salford, said it is offering industry internships of two weeks plus to help equip its students for the workplace. And giving students ‘live briefs’ to do rather than writing a dissertation was a ‘win-win’ situation for both the students and industry, she said: “You guys get free consultancy and students get to apply knowledge in real industrial situations: “When they graduate they will hit the ground running.”

Pointing to analogies between this approach and how medical student receive hands on experience throughout their courses, Marshall said: “They go on the ward and know how to apply knowledge because throughout the medical degree they were working in their industry.”

She said that Salford, a fifth of whose students have come through the BTEC route, develops young people from all types of backgrounds. But Marshall admitted it is a challenge to instil young people from non-academic home backgrounds with the confidence that they can flourish in higher education: “Universities and higher education can’t solve it on their own. You have to go back further in students’ life cycle to primary schools to motivate and give students confidence. It makes them work a bit harder.”

Anna Dawe, Principal of Wigan & Leigh College said that one of the challenges she faces is persuading young people to train in the town rather than go to the bright lights of nearby big cities: “The reality is careers are here for them. Often they come to city centre locations and find they what they are looking for is not there and end up disappointed.”

She said that through the ‘GM Bridge’ initiative, where employers can sign up to work with schools and colleges in their region, young people can see range of careers on their door-steps. In addition, she said Wigan has a strong tradition of apprenticeship training.

But while the college has strong take-up for its construction level 3 apprenticeships, more needs to be done to ensure that young people are equipped for working in the industry, Dawe said: “A lot of young people don’t make it into the workplace because they don’t have the right qualifications that the employer actually wants.”

She said the new apprenticeships standards that the government is currently developing, which employers have a bigger hand in shaping, aims to remedy this problem. She also pointed out that those taking the new T-levels will have to be on placements for one to two days per week.