Greater Manchester students lead the way to a sustainable future with Green Careers Mission event
Students tackle real-world green challenges to drive Greater Manchester’s key sustainability goals
Students from across Greater Manchester gathered to address our region’s most important environmental challenges in the first Green Careers Mission event. The groundbreaking collaborative initiative, pioneered by Greater Manchester’s Civic University Agreement partners, brought together students from a variety of disciplines and levels to tackle real-world challenges set by industry partners, aligned with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)’s Environmental Plan.
Hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University, the Green Careers Mission invited students to work in teams to develop actionable solutions for the environmental challenges that threaten the future health and prosperity of our city region: mitigating climate change, improving air quality, sustainable production and consumption of resources, protecting the natural environment, and building resilience to the impacts of climate change. These challenges were supported by employers including Manchester City Council, Siemens, Thomas Kneale, and GMCA itself, providing students with real-world context for their work.
The event aligns with the commitment of Greater Manchester’s leading higher education institutions — the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the University of Bolton — to drive social, economic, and environmental change across the city region through the Greater Manchester Civic University Agreement.
Through collaborative action, the universities aim to support Greater Manchester’s 2038 zero-carbon target by fostering green skills, promoting research and innovation, and preparing students to lead in a rapidly evolving green economy.
Professor Jennifer O’Brien, Academic Lead of Sustainability Teaching and Learning at The University of Manchester, praised the initiative: “This was a glorious pedagogic experiment to bring students from all five Greater Manchester institutions together to tackle challenges aligned with GMCA’s Environment Plan – and how truly powerful it was.
Whilst the students enhanced their personal and professional skills, they contributed genuinely new insights to these challenges. All our external partners were so impressed by the talent, engagement, and sheer drive of our students. This interdisciplinary methodology could be applied to all sorts of civic challenges to really make a difference.”
The event’s impact was evident in the reactions of students, who described the experience as transformative. Ana Gonzalez Palos, an MSc Operations, Project & Supply Chain Management student from the University of Manchester, highlighted the power of diverse perspectives, saying, "It's incredible how all the insights from our universities made our ideas sharper and more actionable. Proud to be part of such a collaborative initiative for a greener future.”
Meanwhile Adeel Chaudhry, a Software Engineering student at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “Projects like these are essential for bridging theory and practice, giving us hands-on experience in creating actionable sustainability strategies.”
Neva Mowl, Education for Sustainable Development Officer at the University of Salford, shared her admiration, stating, “Seeing students from different universities come together to tackle these challenges was fantastic. The quality of ideas they produced in such a short time, alongside the spirit of cross-institutional collaboration, really moved me. They have shown just how powerful this type of initiative can be.”
As Greater Manchester’s first Green Careers Challenge, the event demonstrates our region’s commitment to advancing sustainability goals through collaborative action and empowering students to play a meaningful role as change agents in building a greener, more resilient Greater Manchester.