11 – 15 years
Get advice, help and support from GMACS to get you thinking about your careers and education choices.
Meet your education choices
You can choose from a wide range of options for education and training. You’ll need to make a choice when you finish your GCSEs, so learn about all the different options now.
If you’d like to go on to further education, you could choose to take A levels, T levels, or BTECs – or a combination of these.
Or you could kickstart your career with an apprenticeship.
Opportunities and support
There are lots of opportunities for you to experience working life in Greater Manchester. And there are lots of support programs designed to help you transition along your career journey. See some of the options tailored specifically for you below.
Enter the All About Stem North West Competition
The All About STEM Competition invites learners aged 9 – 16 from across the North West of England to design a new product, idea, item, or approach that solves a problem facing our world, or the people in it. This could be a robot home assistant, a support solution for...
Have Your Say with the Youth Voice Census 2025
If you’re aged 11-30, the Youth Voice Census is the space for you to share your voice and make change. Whether you're in school, starting an apprenticeship, working, or figuring things out - your voice matters! Your feedback helps create real-world change, including...
Helping you into a career in Tech with NWTT – North West Tech Talent Consortium
What is the NWTT? Helping you into a career in Tech with the NWTT Consortium. A group of leading employers in the North West are collaborating to combine forces and pool their resources to grow and diversify the pool of tech talent in the region. We are here to help...
Build your career plan with Xello
Xello can help you build your career profile and explore jobs and courses that you might like. It’s available to every state high school and college in Greater Manchester for free. You’ll need to get a login through your school, but once you’ve got yours, you can start to build your own career profile.
Get connected with travel around Greater Manchester
If you’re under 16, you can use an igo card to keep your travel costs down. The igo card allows you to use child tickets on buses in Greater Manchester. You can also use it as proof of age for travelling by tram with a child ticket.
To qualify for an igo card, you must:
- Be aged between 5 and 16
- Be a permanent resident of Greater Manchester, or go to school here
Your igo card will last until the end of August after your 16th birthday. It costs £10 to apply.
Discover careers and jobs events
Greater Manchester is packed full of careers, jobs, and education events that you can attend to help you discover what options you might like to take. See some events designed for you below or see what’s in your area.
Experian Live Online First Step Career Challenge
Date: 13/05/2025
Time: Starts 4:30pm
Suitable for: Year 7-9
Join this live career challenge event with Digdata and Experian.
Experian Live Online Next Step Career Challenge
Date: 14/05/2025
Time: Starts 5pm
Suitable for: Year 10-13 & FE
Join this live career challenge event with Digdata and Experian.
Bury Careers Event 2025
Date: 24/09/2025
Time: 3:30pm - 7:00pm
Suitable for: Year 10-11 students & Parents/Carers
At Castle Leisure Centre, there will be an event that will have colleges, apprenticeship providers, universities, and employers. It is for Year 10 & 11 pupils in Bury plus their parents/carers.
Get more advice and support on our blog
Read blog posts and articles from people just like you, as well as posts with expert advice from people in industry and education.
Travelling Safely and Responsibly During the Easter Holidays
The Greater Manchester TravelSafe Partnership are encouraging young people across the region to travel safely and responsibly when out and about during the Easter Holidays. A new campaign, which includes CCTV footage of real-life crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB)...
Explore Jobs in the Creative, Culture and Sport Sector
If you're thinking your future could be in the creative, culture or sport sectors, read on! This article, written by Jamie Weetman, has information about all the pathways that might be an option for you, as well as information on the jobs and careers within these...
Support Active Travel with TfGM’s Youth Travel Ambassadors
In this article, hear from Claire, Ambar, Daniel, Libby and Megan, who are Transport for Greater Manchester’s Youth Travel Ambassadors on what the programme is, the changes they can make and the skills they have developed.What is the Youth Travel Ambassador (YTA)...
Hear from real people about their careers
We’ve spoken to some people about their careers – how they got started, what choices they made, and what they like and dislike. Reading about other people’s experiences can help you make better decisions – explore some examples below.
