Our work on Goal 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Goal 4: Quality Education

Goal 4: Quality Education

As one of the world’s leading research institutions and the UK’s first university to have social responsibility as a core goal, we’re tackling the SDGs in four inter-related ways: through our research, learning and students, public engagement activity and operations.

Here’s a selection of our work addressing Goal 4.

Research

On Gender

We produced On Gender to identify what we know – and what we need to know – about gender inequality in tackling the big policy agendas devolved to Greater Manchester and other areas, with devolution deals in areas such as ageing, labour markets, education, parenting and sexual violence.

#BeeWell: Greater Manchester Wellbeing

Experts from our Manchester Institute of Education are working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and all of the city-region’s secondary schools on a pioneering #BeeWell project.

The first of its kind in the UK, this project will survey and create a dynamic online data dashboard on wellbeing, enabling teachers and leaders to use it as part of a continuous cycle of improvement.

This will provide evidence to inform local and national governmental policy for young people’s wellbeing.

 

Learning and students

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

We have been placed top in the UK for our knowledge transfer partnerships.

Through our structure and funding support, we place graduates to support businesses in addressing key innovation challenges.

Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Our Masood Entrepreneurship Centre is a focal point for enterprise and entrepreneurship in our Alliance Manchester Business School, developing entrepreneurial skills in students, staff and graduates.

 

Public engagement

Species conservation

Our Manchester Museum Vivarium is dedicated to the conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

We recently partnered with Panama Wildlife Charity PWCC on non-invasive research and conservation education involving local communities in the Santa Fe National Park in Panama.

This led to a world first in 2021: one of the world’s rarest toads, the Harlequin Frog, was successfully bred in captivity outside its country of origin, at our museum.

We also curate a world-famous FrogBlog and deliver a digital Learning with Lucy conservation programme for schools.

Great Science Share War on Waste

As part of our Great Science Share for Schools campaign, we compiled a series of resources to engage schoolchildren of various ages in tackling waste and promoting thinking around what we can reduce, reuse or repurpose.

The programme engaged more than 200,000 learners around the world in 2021.

 

Operations

University partnerships

In 2018, we signed the international SDG Accord as part of our ongoing commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. In 2019 our Alliance Manchester Business School signed the Principles for Responsible Management in Education (PRME).

Equity and Merit Programme

Our Equity and Merit Programme supports the brightest minds from some of the least developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe – to develop skills for sustainable development in their home countries.

Thanks to funding by the University and the generosity of our donors, more than 300 international students have completed master’s programmes with us.