Founded in 2001, GMLPN has spent a quarter of a century supporting training providers, strengthening partnerships, and amplifying the collective voice of the Further Education and skills sector. GMLPN25 will celebrate this legacy while looking ahead to the future of skills, workforce development, and inclusive growth in the city region.


GMLPN25 has brought together members, partners, policymakers, and stakeholders through a series of events, strategic moments, and storytelling activities across 2026. These have highlighted the people, places, and partnerships that have shaped GMLPN’s journey and continue to drive impact across Greater Manchester.


Together, these milestones have anchored a year of celebration that both reflects on GMLPN’s achievements and sets a clear direction for the future.


As a member-led network, GMLPN has played a vital role in connecting providers, influencing policy, and supporting innovation across the sector. GMLPN25 offers an opportunity not only to celebrate past achievements, but also to reaffirm GMLPN’s commitment to supporting providers and learners in a rapidly changing skills landscape.

Mark Currie, Chair of GMLPN
“GMLPN25 is an opportunity for us to pause and celebrate 25 years of collaboration and impact across the network, and to recognise the achievements of our members and partners along the way. As a long-standing Chair of GMLPN, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together and the role the network continues to play in supporting learning and skills across Greater Manchester.”

Where It All Began – LTE Group

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…
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Where It All Began – WORKS4U

After spending 25 years working in further education, I made the decision in December 1999 to establish my own education and training consultancy, Norman Mackie Associates Ltd. My passion for further education had been firmly shaped during my time as the coordinator of the MSC East Manchester Accredited Training Centre (ATC), a government‑funded YTS staff…
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Where It All Began – Bolton College

Why our organisation first joined GMLPN Bolton College joined the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network to be an active partner in a place‑based, collaborative approach to skills development. From the outset, we recognised the importance of working collectively to support learners, employers, and communities across Greater Manchester, and we saw GMLPN as a critical forum…
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Where it all began – Tameside College

Tameside College has been a proud member of the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network for many years, our involvement has always been rooted in a simple but powerful principle: collaboration drives quality. We first joined the Network to ensure that we were not operating in isolation but instead contributing to and learning from a collective…
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Where it all began – Tracey Wood

When I think back to where my journey with GMLPN began, it takes me right back to over 23 years ago, in the early years of my career in Further Education. At that time, I was undertaking a business development Return on Investment (ROI) programme alongside other providers across the region, created by the network….
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Where it all began – Mantra Learning

Mantra Learning joined the Network to stay connected to the ever-evolving further education landscape at both regional and national levels. Over time, it has become much more than that – providing our employees with valuable opportunities for professional development, as well as a platform to share best practice, gain new insights, and build meaningful connections…
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GMLPN25: Impact & Collaboration – Zack Grimes

Reflections from Zack Grimes of ZGMC and chair of the GMLPN Business Development Exchange Connection over competition: why collaboration is the engine of Greater Manchester’s skills system The post-16 education and skills sector has rarely faced a landscape this fast-moving or this competitive. Providers are constantly balancing shifting policy, evolving employer demands, funding pressures, and…
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Coming soon!