Season 13 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast: social impact stories from Manchester will launch in October 2026.

Employability Episodes

1
Oct. 20, 2025

Raising Awareness on Modern Slavery with Jillian Alexander

In the first episode of Season 11 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe interviews Jillian Alexander, the founder of the Unbound Programme and anominee for the Spirit of Manchester Awards in the Inspiring Campaign category. Jillian discusses her journey in tackling modern slavery, from volunteering as a young girl to her impactful work as a first responder for modern slavery survivors. She shares insights into the Unbound Programme, which provides upskilling and suppo...
7
March 31, 2025

Empowering youth through play with Ryan Miemczyk

In the seventh episode of Season 10 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe engages with Ryan Miemczyk, Chair of Trustees at Manchester Young Lives. Ryan shares his journey into social work, driven by his passionfor supporting youth and his love for sports. He discusses the charity's mission to empower young people through play and recreation, providing alternative education, and improving employability skills. Ryan highlights the critical challenges faced by the organi...
Guest: Ryan Miemczyk
4
Nov. 12, 2024

Supporting women's employability with Jan Iceton

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners from your host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe. In the fourth episode of Season 9 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, I interview Jan Iceton, Board Chair of Smart Works Greater Manchester. Jan discusses Smart Works' mission to support unemployed women aged 16 to 66 in rebuilding confidence and securing employment. Jan shares her journey in the sector, the pivotal role of Smart Works in empowering women, and the significant impact of their services. Featuring...
14
Sept. 3, 2024

Empowering youth through technology with Hemant Patel

In the 14th episode of Season 8 of the Meet the Mancunian Podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe interviews Hemant Patel, CEO of Anumana. They discuss Hemant's passion for community support, inspired by his mother and Indian cultural values, and his initiative, the Code Academy. Patel highlights the academy's mission to address challenges in the tech sector, such as lack of diversity, skills gap, and social mobility barriers. The academy offers a free 16-week Python programming course to Manche...
Oct. 31, 2023

Youth careers with Jane Wells

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners. Presenting Season 6, Episode 9 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #GM #manchester #careers #youth #socialimpact #nonprofit #employability. I'm Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, your friendly host. In the ninth episode, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Jane Wells [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjanewells/], Enterprise Coordinator, part of the Youth Employment and Opportunities team at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority [https://www.greatermanchester...
April 12, 2022

Volunteering with Tony Nugent

This week's Mancunian guest is Tony Nugent, a local business owner & volunteer job coach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonynugent1/). Tony volunteers at a local school helping young people learn about the world of work. He is also a volunteer job coach at Jobcare. He also advises a local sixth form with an apprentice scheme. Tony expands on his philosophy of 'the slight edge' - taking small steps forward. Tony also talks about the 'hula hoop' man and invites interested listeners to connect with h...
Feb. 15, 2022

Youth with John Swallow

The seventh episode of Meet the Mancunian podcast features John Swallow, Senior Youth Worker, GroundWork (https://www.groundwork.org.uk/). Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK. John started off as a postman and then found his passion in youth work through volunteering. He talks about he works with groups of young people across Greater Manchester helping them to connect with nature and the environment. John's fo...
Jan. 4, 2022

Employability with Diana Bowden

Diana Bowden is the founder of the employability charity - Let's Go Forward (https://letsgoforward.org.uk/). Let's Go Forward creates a supportive community for job seekers in Manchester. Diana shares how she started the charity and where she hopes to take it. She also shares her passion for Manchester. Do have a look at their website or social media handles if you are looking for your dream job. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deepa-thomas-sutcliffe/message