Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised “no dead ends” for young people in the North East as he unveiled education reforms combining academic study with technical training from age 14. The changes, announced on Tuesday, allow Year 10 pupils to link core subjects like English and maths with “prestigious” technical education tied to local jobs.
NEET crisis in the North East
The reforms respond to urgent pleas over the high number of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Latest government figures for 2025 show the North East has England’s highest NEET rate for 16- to 24-year-olds at 21%, totaling over 64,000 young people.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness has made tackling youth unemployment her top demand of Mr Burnham, seeking control over school-to-work transitions and employment support programmes. She discussed these plans with the Prime Minister at his Number 10 North base in Manchester last Friday.
Local leaders back technical routes
Ms McGuinness said she was “really delighted” by Tuesday’s announcement. “This is a region where we have always had a tradition of technical education – people wanting to learn a skill, learn a trade, learn a craft,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “The support disappearing and the idea that a Whitehall department has had more control over access to those things than we have locally for such a long time flies in the face of what the people of the North East want.”
She added: “We know we need skilled workers in construction, in green energy and offshore wind, in advanced manufacturing. Those jobs exist, they are growing, we are creating more of them all the time. But the fact is that young people need to feel like they are for them and the opportunity is there for them to grab with both hands and have brilliant, strong careers in those roles, in this region.”
Milburn report warns of 'lost generation'
A landmark report from former health secretary Alan Milburn recently warned the UK risked a “lost generation” due to a “perfect storm” of issues, including a shortage of entry-level jobs and apprenticeships, long-term Covid impacts, loneliness, mental health problems worsened by social media, and inadequate careers support. Mr Milburn, who grew up in Newcastle’s West End and was MP for Darlington, called Tuesday’s reforms “a big step in the right direction.”
He added: “A million young people are being failed by a system that isn’t creating the opportunities for them to progress in life. The world of work is changing and the education system isn’t keeping up.”
Rollout from 2028 and political reaction
The changes, which pair skills training with work experience and local employer connections, are expected to roll out from September 2028. Mr Burnham said he wanted technical qualifications to receive the same respect as academic routes. “Fixing the youth unemployment crisis in Britain will require a shake-up in how we do things – and that’s what this government will do. I want to ensure that our education system leaves no dead ends for our young people,” he said. “The changes we’re announcing today will just be the start of our work to restore opportunity and hope across the country.”
The Prime Minister’s announcement includes a pledge for regional mayors, local leaders, schools, colleges, and employers to create new technical pathways tailored to local industries, such as the offshore wind farm sector in the North East.
Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott described the announcement as “all over the place” and accused Labour of “driving youth unemployment to record highs.” She added: “They are making it too expensive to hire young people, and destroying jobs with their jobs tax and employer red tape.”
