GMSA Advance recognised by Times Higher for innovation in accessible learning

GMSA Advance has been shortlisted for a prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2009 for its achievements in making further and higher education more accessible to employers and adult learners. GMSA Advance is designed to support the higher skills and workforce development needs of employers and the professional development of their employees.   

Employers and employees can ‘pick and mix’ modules from several universities and colleges to personalise training and development to meet their business and individual development needs.  Its flexibility enables employers to ‘pay as they go’ and continually adjust training programmes to keep pace with changing needs. A major asset is the on-line Advance portal www.advance.gmsa.ac.uk giving easy access to Advance services.  

For employees, all modules carry credit points that can lead to a university qualification, giving them the opportunity to progress into and through higher education at the same time as gaining the skills and knowledge they need for their career.

GMSA Advance has been welcomed by BusinessLink advisors and Sector Skills Councils, providing a single channel for them to access information about the short course training and development opportunities offered by higher education providers.  

Cath Walsh, Director of GMSA commented: “This is an exciting and challenging development for GMSA, and we are delighted to get a resounding ‘thumbs up’ from employers, learners and our members institutions involved with Advance.‘

“The collaborative nature of Advance is a major strength.  Universities, colleges and training providers are working together in Greater Manchester to increase choice and flexibility for employers and learners through a single service.’

‘We are now planning to continue to develop Advance to AdvanceUK by working with key partners outside of Greater Manchester.’

If organisations are interested exploring how they might benefit from working with the GMSA to offer AdvanceUK in their region please contact Cath Walsh at cath.walsh@gmsa.ac.uk.

The Greater Manchester Strategic Alliance (GMSA)) is an alliance of universities, colleges, work-based learning providers and other stakeholders, whose collaboration is making higher education in Greater Manchester increasingly innovative and employer-led.

The award is sponsored by FDF.