Goal 8: Learning and students
The University’s learning and student activities play a key role in our approach to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Here’s a wider showcase of our work addressing Goal 8.
The Venture Further Awards is an annual start-up competition for all students and recent graduates that offers a £100,000 prize fund. The competition introduces students to a world of support programmes, workshops, mentors and networks to grow their ideas. The entries need to be a viable and credible business proposal that has the potential to succeed. If the entry is successful, the student will be asked to pitch their business proposal to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win one of the cash prizes.
The city of lifelong learning approach is a movement of people, services, and place, to connect, validate and nurture learning, to support the city economy and to promote high quality and inclusive learning, for all aspects of our life.
Manchester has become a UNESCO City of Lifelong Learning, in recognition of outstanding efforts to make lifelong learning a reality for all, with the University of Manchester as a strategic partner. The University of Manchester is proud to be leading on digital skills as part of Manchester City Council’s lifelong learning approach.
We partner with small local charities in Manchester right through to major government departments through our Q-Step programme.
This places students on internships in organisations that require data skills and analysis and we’ve collaborated on projects with the Office for National Statistics on global, national and regional datasets used to measure progress on SDGs.
Our new interdisciplinary unit, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): Your Role in Shaping a Fairer World, is open to all undergraduate students and empowers them to take responsibility for promoting inclusive approaches to study and work.
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.
Our students are able to undertake an Enterprise Challenge, which combines enterprise units with a community-based enterprise project with not-for-profit organisations.
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.
We deliver undergraduate programmes in Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, master’s programmes in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship.
We also integrate industrial experience into a wide range of science, engineering, health and social science programmes.
Our Workplace Ethics Challenge empowers third-year undergraduates with skills and experiences on fairness in work and helps them stand out in a competitive graduate job market.
We recognise there are barriers for some of our students in accessing appropriate work experience.
We offer financial support for full-time undergraduates of all years to undertake career-enhancing work experience for those who otherwise couldn’t have afforded it.
Our students are learning about how to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
For example, our undergraduate Management degree has a specialisation in Sustainable and Ethical Business. Our master’s students in Development Economics and Policy learn about contemporary economic theories, applications and methods relevant to developing and transitional economies.
We work in collaboration with Association des Guides du Rwanda (AGR) to provide volunteer opportunities for students to help girls and young women in Rwanda acquire skills for their development and become agents of positive change.