McCann Manchester, part of the McCann global creative agency network, has partnered with University Academy 92 (UA92), the higher education institution co-founded by Gary Neville and the Class of 92 with Lancaster University.
Based in Trafford, Manchester, UA92 aims to make higher education accessible to all, through its founding principles of accessibility, social mobility and inclusivity. The organisation is focused on fully preparing graduates for the world of work by offering industry-led courses which serve future talent pipelines.
UA92 works closely with a range of key businesses to co-create the curriculum, provide mentoring, industry projects, guest lectures and work experience opportunities, in addition to support the character and personal development of the students, equip them with key life skills such as: communication, resilience, teamworking, digital and financial literacy.
The newly formed partnership, driven by McCann Manchester’s DE&I Taskforce (a community from across the agency that shapes DE&I strategy) see the agency help shape the curriculum for new digital marketing content and degrees, run a programme of guest speakers on campus, welcome students into the agency for industry experience and develop the Character and Personal Development (CPD) programme, plus much more.
Commenting on the three year commitment, Karen Buchanan, CEO at McCann Manchester said: “The digital talent shortage in Manchester is well documented and there is a wealth of untapped brilliant talent who are restricted from realising their potential due to broader societal circumstances. The work Gary Neville and his team are doing at UA92 is game-changing and I’m delighted that we are partnering to help.
She continued: “We look forward to playing our role in helping create a new talent pool of graduates in the North West, who will be integral in fuelling the success of businesses such as ours and others across the region in years to come.”
Sara Prowse, CEO of UA92 said: “We’re delighted that McCann has joined our strategic partners, their expertise, creativity and support will prove invaluable in boosting the skills, knowledge and aspirations of our students. We’re looking forward to working closely with the team to identify the digital marketing and media careers of the future and ensuring this insight helps us shape and create a pipeline of diverse, employment ready talent.”
