Andy Burnham has committed to curbing the number of jobless young people while in office, but declined to set a deadline. The Prime Minister said he is “on a mission” to halt the rise in the number of youngsters not in education, employment or training (Neet), which has already topped one million.
He made the commitment as he unveiled plans to open up new technical education routes to 14-year-olds, which will be put on an equal footing with traditional academic pathways. From Year 10, pupils will be able to combine core academic subjects, like English and maths, with technical education linked to jobs available in their area.
Reforms aim to end 'second-class citizens' feeling
The changes are “long overdue”, Mr Burnham said, adding that “it’s just not right” that the current system leaves young people not on the university pathway feeling “that they’re some kind of second-class citizens”. The reforms aimed at averting the next generation of Neets “brings hope to a lot of young people” who “know the education system is not built for them”, he said.
The latest data, published in May, showed the number of young people aged 16-24 neither working nor learning surpassed one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March. An interim report by former Labour minister Alan Milburn, also published in May, warned the figure could rise to one in six by 2031 and that Britain risks leaving behind a “lost generation” of young people ill-prepared for work.
No firm date but a commitment
Asked whether he could set a date on getting Neets numbers falling, Mr Burnham told reporters during a Tuesday visit to Derby: “I will commit, in my time in office, to get the number of young people who are not in education, employment, and training down. I will commit to that. When precisely I can get there will is a hard thing to say right now.”
He also said: “Obviously, the trend is rising at the moment, so first thing I’ve got to do is to stop that rise. So it’s kind of hard to say and put a firm date on it at the moment when you can say there are fewer than now, but certainly I am completely on a mission with relation to this. I cannot accept the situation where we have so many young people in their 20s on benefits. It’s just not right for them. And why do we have that? The support just isn’t there. You know, it would be wrong to blame the young people when we have an education system that doesn’t set them up properly, where some struggle to find opportunities at 16, where work experience and work placements aren’t there for them. We’ve got to put those building blocks in place, and then, in time, that number will come down.”
Technical pathways from 2028
The new technical pathways, which will pair skills training with work experience and connections with local employers, are set to be rolled out from September 2028. The reforms are said to be building on initiatives such as the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc), which is a technical education alternative to the academic English Baccalaureate (EBacc).
Mr Burnham told journalists: “We’ve had a system built for too long around the university route, and it sends a message to some young people that they’re some kind of second-class citizens, and it’s just not right. They need an education system that works for them as well, that offers a path to all young people. This balance between academic and technical.”
Countries with an education system based on a principle of parity, such as Germany and the Netherlands, have far fewer young people who end up not in education, he said. “And I think it’s long overdue that Britain makes this change.”
Pressed on whether he was at risk of trying to do more than he could realistically deliver, following a string of policy announcements in his first days in office, the Labour leader said: “No. If you look back at my record as mayor of Greater Manchester, what I say I do.” He said his latest announcement “brings some hope to a lot of young people in this country who know the education system is not built for them.” “Well, now they have a Prime Minister who’s saying ‘I am for you, and I will build an education system that works for you, that treats all students coming through school as equals’.”
Funding and inspection changes
The Government has said it will prioritise funding towards high-quality technical education and practical routes into work. Meanwhile, Ofsted will change the way they inspect schools and measure performance, ensuring they recognise schools that provide high quality technical education and support young people to develop the skills, experience and confidence employers are seeking.
Regional mayors, local leaders, schools, colleges and employers will work together to create the new technical pathways, which can be tailored around local industries and growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, AI, healthcare or the creative industries.
Mr Milburn said these reforms are “very welcome”, adding: “They are a big step in the right direction and consistent with the findings of my review.”
Opposition reactions
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said “the announcements today don’t come anywhere close to undoing the damage Labour has already done to the job market”, with the governing party “making it too expensive to hire young people, and destroying jobs with their jobs tax and employer red tape”. She branded the announcement “all over the place”, arguing: “Labour have literally just legislated to strip schools of their freedom to choose what’s best for the pupils they’re teaching, yet now they imply it should be locally tailored.”
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said the plan “must come in with built-in safeguards to allow young people the flexibility to retrospectively change direction and move between academic and technical”. She added: “We must not allow these changes to predetermine children’s futures at just 14, baking in disadvantage.”
General secretary of the NAHT school leaders union Paul Whiteman said: “We welcome the ambition to strengthen technical and vocational education… However, this announcement sets out a direction of travel rather than detailed proposals, and schools will need much greater clarity about what it means in practice and over funding.”
General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders Pepe Di’Iasio praised the Government for treating this as an “urgent priority”, but said the timing of the announcement in the middle of the summer holiday is “unfortunate”.
