ANDY BURHAM, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
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For too long, we’ve built an education system around the idea that there’s only one route to success: university, a degree, a desk. That opened doors for millions of people, and rightly so. But somewhere along the way, we sent another message too: that if your ambition was to do something that required more technical skills, somehow you were aiming lower.
I think that was one of the biggest mistakes this country has made. In the age of AI, practical and technical skills haven’t become less valuable – they’ve become more valuable than ever. Britain will need brilliant engineers, electricians and cybersecurity experts more than ever before.
Our job – our national task – is to rebuild those ladders of opportunity, rung by rung, step by step, together.
That’s why today we’re putting technical education back where it belongs – not as a second thought, but as a first choice.
From the age of 14, we will be giving kids a new option in school: keeping core maths, English and science, but combining them with a real, hands-on technical education. This will include gaining work experience and creating connections with local employers.
From today, Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap. Because getting that right is the difference between a generation of young people growing up with the belief that their talents can take them wherever they want to go – or growing up believing there was never a place for them to begin with. The trend is rising at the moment, so the first thing I’ve got to do is to stop that rise.
That’s why I see this as more than just education reform. It’s a different approach to welfare too.
Instead of 16-year-olds leaving school with only dead ends, we’re investing early – helping young people build successful working lives from the start. It isn’t the only answer – we’ll need to look at the health of our young people too – but it is an essential part of building a country that supports success rather than pays for failure. I’m determined to unlock the potential of the next generation, tackle the youth unemployment crisis, and bring the welfare bill down in a way that lasts.
But above all, it’s about changing the message we send to our kids. Because there isn’t just one future worth preparing them for – there are many. And it’s about time we treated every single one with the same respect.
I want an education system based on parity between academic and technical which gives all young people a clear path in life. From today, Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap.
In a fundamental change to the education system, we will introduce new technical education pathways from 14 – prestigious routes that will give students the chance to combine the core academic subjects with the skills, technical knowledge and experience they need to get quality, well-paid jobs where they live. My message to young people is this – whether you choose construction, coding or classics, or maths, manufacturing or mechanics, you’ll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve…
…whether you choose construction, coding or classics, you’ll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve
Fixing the youth unemployment crisis in Britain will require a major 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. The changes we’re announcing today will just be the start of our work to restore opportunity and hope across the country.
