Goal 4: Policies, processes and practices
The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 4 Quality Education.
Educational resources
We provide a wide range of free access to educational resources for those not studying at the university – e.g. computers, library, online courses, and access to lectures. We provide a range of face to face sessions and online materials in our education programmes for school students in key stage 2 to 5 at our John Rylands library. We have a variety of free, open to everyone, certificated Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to bring our teaching resources to a global audience, in which learners can receive a certificate of completion.
We run a free educational resource for public health professionals who wish to learn about public health and the SDGs. We also lead on a major lifelong learning initiative around digital skills which will provide a framework and set of interventions to upskill citizens across our city in education and the workplace.
Educational outreach activities
We undertake a range of educational outreach activities beyond campus – in local schools and in the community. This includes both ad hoc and programmed activities. We have partnered with IntoUniversity – which has centres based in the local community that provide English and Math educational workshops as well as other career outreach workshops that are often led by the university. Our partnership with The Brilliant Club involves our PhD students delivering educational outreach seminars in local, non-selective state schools – to try widen access to the university.
Community educational events
We host a range of lifelong learning events that are open to the general public. We have public lectures and community educational events delivered both ad hoc and on a programmed basis. We host rich and diverse range of over 100 annual events at our Cultural Institutions, for example our weekly Art Babies class at our Whitworth Art Gallery, and performances in our Martin Harris Centre and regular family. Programmed events take place during key awareness months of the year, for example, LGBT month, Black History Month and for International Women’s Day. We also have our annual Community Festival, which is a community lifelong learning educational event, opening the University and its research to local communities.
We host a wide range of events – both programmed and ad hoc – that are open to the general public relating to executive and vocational training courses. We have various Continuing professional development (CPD) courses available from our faculty of humanities, biology medicine and health, science and engineering. We offer courses on a wide range subject areas including: aerospace and civil engineering; biology; medicine and health; business and management; computer science; health care ethics and law; materials; mechanical engineering; and pharmacy. Our University Language Centre offers individual language courses that cater to a range of levels from beginner to advanced, and are open to everyone – students of the University, members of staff and members of the public.
Lifelong learning policy
We have policies that ensure lifelong learning is accessible to all, regardless of ethnicity, religion, disability, immigration status, or gender, as outlined in our Flexible Learning Strategy (2022-2026). This policy makes clear that flexible learning has to address cultural barriers (p4), and inclusivity of all groups (p5, p7), including those with disabilities and gender or religious barriers.
We are committed to creating inclusive, accessible, and international lifelong flexible learning, preparing our graduates for an increasingly digital world that demands agility, creativity, and digital proficiency.
Our flexible learning approach focuses on establishing the right processes and infrastructure to embed a range of flexible education pathways, ensuring access to a Manchester education throughout a learner’s lifetime and promoting lifelong learning. Our Access and Participation Plan (2021-2025) outlines specific student groups (including race, gender, disability, and other protected characteristics) that are targeted for access to our initiatives throughout the student lifecycle (pages 13 and 14).
We offer language support through our Academic Success Programme, which assists individuals of various ethnicities, religions, and immigration statuses. Academic English can be challenging, even for native speakers, and our team of experienced tutors is here to help students use Academic English with accuracy and confidence.
Our prestigious Race Equality Chartermark demonstrates our public commitment to race equality across all activities involving staff and students, ensuring outreach and admissions remain accessible to people of all races. We also hold 15 Athena Swan Charters for Gender Equality, each of which embeds the promotion of gender equality in access to outreach activities.