The Skills Development Service has secured a contract extension through to June 2026, reflecting both the growing demand for the programme and its success in supporting organisations and individuals across Greater Manchester.

As part of the extension, recruitment has reopened to businesses of all sizes, alongside individuals and volunteers, enabling more people to benefit from a broad and evolving range of skills support. Recruitment had previously paused on 31 January due to high take‑up, underscoring the strength of demand for high‑quality, business‑led training.

Responding to Demand, Delivering Impact

The contract extension recognises the impact the Skills Development Service has already delivered. From strengthening leadership teams to empowering frontline staff with practical, future‑focused skills.

Organisations from both the private and public sectors have engaged with the service, alongside individuals and volunteers seeking to build confidence, capability and career progression. Importantly, take‑up has been strong across all role levels, with current success stories including senior leadership teams, middle managers and entry‑level roles engaging side‑by‑side.

Training demand has been particularly high in areas such as:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Forecasting and data‑led decision‑making
• Workplace communications
• Microsoft Excel
• ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

These priorities reflect the real, day‑to‑day challenges organisations face, balancing innovation with inclusion while ensuring teams have the skills needed to perform and adapt.

Agile, Business‑Shaped Training

A defining feature of the Skills Development Service is its flexible course design, which continues to develop in response to employer and learner feedback.

Courses are shaped to suit:

• Business operations and time pressures
• Individual learning needs
• Personalised content and delivery models

This agile approach allows training to remain relevant, practical and can be applied by learners immediately. Whether supporting AI adoption, improving communication with customers, or strengthening leadership capability.

Real Results for People and Organisations

Beyond technical skills, participants reported increased confidence, reduced imposter syndrome, better adaptation to new ways of working and, in several cases, progression and promotion within their organisations.

Success through the Skills Development Service has also helped shape other initiatives, including the Stockport Council Care Workers project, demonstrating how learning from one programme can influence wider workforce development across Greater Manchester.

Looking Ahead

While challenges remain, including language barriers, neurodiversity, training commitment and access to the right learning environments, the extension creates new opportunities to address these issues collaboratively.

With continued commissioning and strong partnerships between businesses, the public sector, education providers and the voluntary sector, the Skills Development Service will play a key role in unlocking inclusive growth and building a workforce ready for the future.

The extension to June 2026 marks not just continuation, but confidence in a model that works  and puts people, businesses and future-proofing at the heart of skills development in Greater Manchester.