The Greener Futures Youth Festival saw more than 100 local students sign up to explore the opportunities and skills on offer within sustainability.
Activities included a series of employer-led workshops, a green showcase featuring sustainable technology and ideas, and a creative design sprint that saw students reimagining low-carbon communities of the future.
Designed and delivered by Landsec and Ahead Partnership, the festival is set to have a significant impact on the city as a multi-year initiative, providing local youth with the insight and support needed to help find their role in Manchester’s ongoing green transition.
Jennie Coville, Head of Sustainability at Landsec, said: “We plan to make a continued effort to give all young people the opportunity to find their place within this journey, and better our future workforce, and environment alike.”
Coville described the benefits as multi-faceted – offering significant career development and equipping Manchester with an appropriately skilled talent pool that can meet the needs of the green transition.
She said: “It’s so important that we engage young people at a critical point in their schooling – to highlight the diverse range of opportunities and green jobs which are available to them.”
Last December, Andy Burnham outlined the next five years of his 18-year Environment Plan to make Manchester a zero-carbon city by 2038, which the festival aims to aid with.
The sustainability sector is abundant with opportunity for Manchester’s youth, with the net zero sector expanding three times faster than the overall UK economy in 2025 according to reports from the Confederation of British Industry.
This sector encompasses 22,000 businesses, employs nearly a million people and offers average wages higher than the national average.
The festival, held in Mayfield Park, was also made in collaboration with employers in the sector, seeking to make green careers more accessible and inclusive whilst allowing attendees to network with and learn from leading figures.
Georgina Johnson, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership, said: “There is a growing interest among young people in fighting climate change, and this festival will help to give young people the right insights and experience to capitalise on this interest.”
Johnson noted the enthusiasm generated by the festival, expressing optimism for the longer-term impact of this work on Manchester’s youth, local employers and the region.
She said: “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with businesses to help to deliver sustainable development, inclusive economic growth and greater prosperity across the region.”
The Greener Futures Youth Festival is one of a number of initiatives being delivered by Ahead Partnership in Manchester, with its flagship Girl Tech event set to launch in the city for the first time in early June.
To find out more about Growing Talent Greener Futures, please visit: https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/programmes/growing-talent-greener-futures/.
To find out more about Ahead Partnership, please visit: https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/.
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