Melanie Nicholson- Executive Team Member of LTE Group & Managing Director of Total People & MOL
When GMLPN was founded in 2001, the LTE Group looked very different. Today, as a leading UK provider of post-16 education and training, it includes FE (The Manchester College), apprenticeships (Total People), HE (UCEN Manchester), professional training (MOL), and prison education (Novus). Not all these parts of the group existed in their current form in 2001. The Manchester College was formed from a 2008 merger; Novus was established in 2015 for prison education. Total People joined via acquisition, and in 2016 the LTE Group name was adopted. UCEN Manchester was launched in 2018 to further establish the Group’s HE offerings.
Joining GMLPN
Throughout this journey, our involvement in GMLPN was driven by our belief that the biggest challenges in post‑16 education are best met together. Joining GMLPN created opportunities to share insight and contribute meaningfully to collective improvement across Greater Manchester and the sector, collaborating closely with other local providers, partners and stakeholders.
The Network has been instrumental in encouraging conversations, such as inspection readiness, GM skills priorities, national and local initiatives, policy and funding changes and potential impacts, whilst also supporting and forming vital connections and relationships.
How GMLPN has helped us to success
Being part of GMLPN has been part of our strategic intent to strengthen our ability to build meaningful partnerships and identify opportunities for collaboration that directly benefit our learners, employers and stakeholders. The Network provides a trusted space to share challenges, test ideas and align activity across organisations.
Perhaps most importantly, the Network has reinforced the value of looking beyond individual institutions to understand how we can respond to evolving skills needs together. That shared intelligence and collective ambition continues to shape how we plan provision, develop partnerships and support learners to succeed.
Melanie Nicholson – Executive Team Member of LTE Group & Managing Director of Total People & MOL sits on the GMLPN Advisory Board, this has greatly benefited the LTE Group by providing a unique platform to inform strategic direction and sector-wide initiatives
Our ambitions for the future of skills
As we look to the future and the LTE Group’s “Destination 30” strategy, which is to Create better futures together through learning, skills and work. Our strategic intent to positively impact more people with better skills and higher earning potential, increasing the number of learners securing good jobs and rewarding careers.
Our priorities include creating 1,000 additional learning places for young people alongside continued growth in apprenticeships, and a significant expansion of higher technical programmes and other higher‑level qualifications aligned to regional labour market need. Achieving this will require continued collaboration across providers, employers, stakeholders and civic partners.
We see an opportunity to shape a truly inclusive and ambitious skills system that supports economic growth while improving life chances across Greater Manchester.
