Salford Mayor to launch ‘City Mayor’s Challenge’ in a bid to tackle education inequality among teenagers

Paul Dennett, Salford City’s Mayor, is set to launch a new initiative tomorrow (Wednesday 8 March) entitled the City Mayor’s Challenge.

He hopes this challenge will equip young people with important skills and inspire them to pursue higher education.

Mayor Dennett, a former university lecturer who is aiming to tackle inequalities in Salford, said: “Salford students are underrepresented at both Oxbridge and public research universities in the United Kingdom and we want to change that”.

The mayor hopes this initiative will boost student confidence, enhance their CV and give them skills that they can use in later life.

So far students from 10 Salford schools have signed up to take part in the challenge, which will take teams of four approximately 60 hours to finish.

Challenge

The challenges include an extended project where students can research an event, invention or movement which took place in the city of Salford.

When asked what he hopes the students will gain from the experience, the mayor said: “We want to make sure we’re giving our young people in Salford every opportunity to try new things and demonstrate the research, presentation and teamwork skills they will need to complete the project”.

Through the challenge, students will have access to resources found in the Schools’ Library Service, Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

This will include spaces where they can work, books to help them with their research as well as giving them access to PCs and WiFi.

Salford City Council is also hosting skills and work drop-in sessions for residents with learning impairments who are currently unemployed to bridge the gap.