David Cameron has said he wants to see the Birmingham Baccalaureate delivered in every classroom in the city - as it is revealed that Greater Manchester has commissioned its own version of the award.
The Prime Minister praised Northfield's Conservative parliamentary candidate Rachel Maclean for helping secure government funding to allow a city-wide rollout from September.
In February, the Chancellor announced the expansion of BBacc, as part of the long-term economic plan for the Midland region.
Mr Cameron said: "Ensuring that our young people have the skills they need to succeed when they first enter the world of work is a key part of our long term economic plan which is why we want to expand the Birmingham Baccalaureate.
"The BBacc has been championed and delivered by Rachel Maclean.
"I want every school and college in Birmingham to be able to offer it so that young people can get the skills they need to get on in life."
For the past two academic years, the award has run in schools despite receiving no public funding, instead relying on donations from Packt Publishing, Hays Recruitment and Birmingham Airport.
Skilled & Ready, the charity which delivers the Birmingham Baccalaureate, has revealed that Greater Manchester is so impressed with the success of the award here that it has commissioned its own version.
Jane Harris, programme director of Skilled & Ready, said: "We developed this award thanks to the considerable philanthropy of Birmingham businesses over the course of two years.
"We've proven it really makes an impact where it matters, to the young people who take the Birmingham Baccalaureate.
"Our work has been scrutinised by government ministers throughout the process which led to a number of other local authorities around the country getting in touch to see what we were doing.
"In January, we began delivering a customised version of the award in Greater Manchester, funded by their City Deal.
"It's yet another bright Birmingham invention now being successfully exported and making an impact further afield."
