Apprenticeships Director awarded MBE for services to education and skills
Manchester Metropolitan University’s Director of Apprenticeships has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s honours for services to education and skills.
Liz Gorb has been the driving force behind the development and delivery of degree apprenticeships at the University since they were first introduced 2015.
Under her inspirational leadership, Manchester Met now works with more than 600 employers and over 2,500 apprentices through its programmes across the UK.
Manchester Met is one of the pioneers of the “learn as you earn” initiative, and the first to secure Ofsted Outstanding recognition for the quality of its provision.
It has been rated as the leading university provider by its apprentices for the last five years, and ministers have praised the programmes as a model for other institutions of higher education to follow.
On being awarded her MBE, Liz said: “This is a great honour and I am grateful for the support of my colleagues, our employer partners and our apprentices.
“We all have a shared belief in the importance of degree apprenticeships and have worked together to broaden opportunities and success for many talented professionals.”
In 2021, Liz oversaw the publication of Manchester Met’s ‘Force for Change’ report, which outlines how its degree apprenticeship programmes have improved social mobility, increased opportunities for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and boosted their careers.
Liz plays an active role in many national trailblazer groups and chairs an international network of universities developing degree apprenticeships. She also advises employers, universities and government bodies on establishing these innovative programmes across the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Spain and Canada.
Prior to her roles at Manchester Met, Liz served in many different sectors of Education including as Head of East Cheshire Business School at Macclesfield College, and Head of Languages at the City Lit in London.
