Sector Overview
Work Matters in Greater Manchester is based on information supplied by New Economy Manchester's Policy and Research Team and the Connexions services in Greater Manchester.
Throughout this website we will refer to Key Sectors, as defined in the New Economy Manchester Economic Plan and other strategic planning documents. These key sectors contain important local employers, high value activities, companies with potential for high growth and local specialisms.
The Key Sectors are as follows:
Aviation
The Aviation sector includes scheduled air transport for passengers and cargo goods, non-scheduled air transport such as regular passenger charter flights, as well as many different businesses which support the operation of both aircraft and airports.
The UK airports industry has been at the forefront of airport development right up to the present day and it’s main strengths cover many different areas of work. One thing is for sure, a career in aviation can be varied, exciting, and you certainly won’t have a standard 9-5 job!
Construction
Construction is one of the UK's biggest industries, with over 2 million employees and self-employed already at work in more than 700 different types of job. The Construction sector is composed of two types of firm: contractors and consultants.
Contractors comprise both general and specialist building firms; for example house builders, building repairs, plumbers and scaffolders. Consultants include professional occupations such as architects and surveyors. Once working in the construction industry there are many excellent opportunities to develop skills and abilities throughout your career.
Creative Industries
Creative Industries cover a wide group of businesses where skills and talents are used to create goods and services, both directly to the public and to other businesses. The sector ranges from businesses based upon the latest cutting edge digital technologies within media and software design to more traditional fine art & design, crafts and performing arts.
Education
The Education sector includes different levels of education: primary, secondary, further and higher education. The key employers in the sector are universities, schools, colleges and independent training organisations. While the majority of roles within Education are for teaching of some kind, there are many other types of job including education administrators, learning support co-ordinators (of which many are volunteers) and teacher training officers. The main area though, is teaching. Teaching is an important and increasingly popular choice of career for all kinds of people.
Whatever your circumstances – if you're still at school, about to graduate, or looking for a change of direction – there are more ways to enter the profession and more support available to help you get there than ever before. As a teacher you will have a unique professional lifestyle. Working with exciting, interesting young people will provide you with new and enjoyable experiences every day.
Financial and Professional Services
Financial and Professional Services is a huge employer in the UK and offers a wide variety of career opportunities within industries such as banking and fund management, pensions and insurance, legal and accounting, management consultancy, architectural and engineering and real estate. It is a dynamic sector with strong links to other key sectors, for example shared service centres, which is a key area of growth. New technologies and new ways of doing business are often used within the sector first which makes it a challenging and exciting place to work. Companies need staff who are flexible as well as knowledgeable and people who can develop at the same fast pace as the market.
Hospitality and Tourism
The Hospitality and Tourism sector includes hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, camping sites, restaurants and bars, conference and exhibition centres, libraries, museums and entertainment activities. For many people the thought of a career in hospitality and tourism brings up images of chefs and travel reps….and nothing else! Well, although, of course, these are all careers that fall within this sector, there is so much more to consider.
Did you know that hospitality alone employs 1 in every 10 people in the UK? That's over 2.5 million people working in more than 30,000 establishments. Many people start work in Hospitality and Tourism at an early age and the opportunities for school leavers joining through a good training scheme are endless. Before long you could be managing your own travel shop or be an area manager for a tour operator in some exotic destination - the sky is the limit.
ICT Digital
The ICT Digital/Communications sector is made up of various sections such as: Communications Equipment, Communications Services, Computing, Film/TV Broadcasting, ICT Equipment, Information Processing, Multimedia Communications, Multimedia Publishing, Multimedia Services, Software Services, Systems Integration, and Vision and Sound Equipment.
The ICT Digital/Communications sector is vital to the economy as a direct creator of new jobs and economic growth. It also enables the population and businesses to communicate, share information, trade and manage their lives. ICT professionals with the right skills are always in demand in this fast moving and dynamic sector. Employers are particularly interested in people with problem solving skills, who are strong communicators and have the ability to work in teams.
Life Sciences
The Life Science Industries sector includes both health service jobs delivered by organisations such as the NHS and private medical centres as well as the bio-technology and pharmaceuticals sectors which are concerned with the development and manufacture of drugs and ways of making diagnoses. One thing is clear, that providing good healthcare is a team effort where everyone has a contribution to make. So there's a commitment to offering development and learning opportunities for extending your range of skills and knowledge, and helping you to realise your full potential. No matter where you start in the Life Sciences Industries sector, your training will be thorough and continuous.
Logistics
Logistics involves managing the movement of goods either by road, air or sea. It also includes the storage and warehousing of the things we buy, as well as the transport of supplies which manufacturers need to make things. Logistics is an important part of the economy because it ensures the flow of the things we need throughout the whole country, including goods such as food and drink, post and birthday presents!
Logistics is no ordinary day job. It is varied, exciting and offers real career development prospects. There are many avenues available to develop a career in Logistics for those with different levels of qualifications. There are also lots of opportunities for school leavers with no qualifications or experience wishing to enter Logistics. Jobs such as being a driver’s mate or warehouse operative are readily available and provide a first step on the career ladder.
With A-Levels, there are opportunities to start your Logistics career in a junior management role. If you're a graduate looking for a career in Logistics, there are many exciting opportunities for you to choose from.
Manufacturing
Once upon a time you could stand on any high point across Greater Manchester and count dozens of factory chimneys, many dating back to the Industrial Revolution during which we were the greatest cotton textile producers in the world. Today many of these chimneys have been replaced with modern innovative manufacturing companies that use the latest technologies to create new world-class products, from the wings of the new A380 super-jumbo to bullet proof vests! There are lots of careers available to people of all ages in Manufacturing, which will allow you to fulfill your potential.
Other Careers not in Key Sectors
There are a lot of career possibilities outside of the key sectors identified in this Work Matters information pack.
People find exciting and successful careers in all sorts of places; beauty parlours, care homes, garages, working from their own home or even on stage in front of an audience! All sectors of work are important and each plays its role in the economy.
A number of jobs don’t fit neatly into any one specific sector. People with Business Administration or secretarial skills for instance, could work in a warehouse, retail shop or even in a solicitor’s firm. Because there are many jobs that don’t really fit into any of the sectors listed, as well as jobs that can be found in many sectors, we have listed four more interesting case studies to think about!
Public Sector
The Public Sector is the part of economic and administrative life that deals with the delivery of goods and services by and for the government, whether national, regional or local. Examples of public sector activity include delivering social security, urban planning and organising national defences. At the national level, Public Sector is the central government and civil service, based mainly in London.
At the local level, it is Local Government (i.e. your local council) the police and the fire service. Local government employees feel that they are contributing to the local community and making a difference in people’s lives. It is an exciting and rewarding place to work.
Retail
Retail is a significant and growing industry sector employing over three million people in the UK, within thousands of shops and stores selling everything from designer clothes and shoes to food and drink. It is therefore a major contributor to the UK economy as a whole and offers many exciting job opportunities. There are a variety of ways of progressing in a career in retail.
You could start as a sales assistant and move onto supervisory, departmental management and store management positions. You could also go to University and further your education and enter retail with some qualification.
Sport
If you thought that sport was all about being fit, famous and extremely wealthy think again! Sport is a huge industry with a diverse number of rewarding career opportunities. Athletes and sports teams need coaches, physical education, sports scientists, photographers, agents, trainers, doctors, marketing, PR and even psychology!
Whether you want to be a practitioner (coach/athlete), manager (agent/administrator), promoter (marketer, sponsor), scientist (therapist/nurse) or sport retailer (sport shop clerk) there are many ways to be involved in sport as a career. Sports teams are much larger than the players you see on the field, it takes a team of hardworking professionals to be successful in sport.
Terminology and definitions of language used within this section is available as a download from the resources section of the website.
'Definitions and Explanatory Notes - Sector Fact Sheets'