Construction sector leaders have broadly welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement this week on expanding access to technical education
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed to give young people the foundations for a firmer future when he unveiled proposals for expanding access to technical eduction, with stronger links with employers.
The plan would allow students to begin combining core academic subjects – English, maths and science – with technical education from age 14 (Year 10), tailored to the jobs available in their local area. The proposals, while early days yet, have gone down well enough with industry leaders, particularly in construction, given the sector’s long-standing skills and recruitment challenge.
Partnership and collaboration will be a big part of the deal under Burnham’s plans, with schools, colleges, regional mayors, local leaders, and employers all working together to shape routes into sectors including engineering, healthcare, digital technology, and construction.
Announcing the changes, Burnham said: “For too long in this country, students have been told that you must take the academic path to do well and to be respected. The whole school system has been built around it and that has let down young people seeking technical qualifications.
“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.”
“Lost generation”
The move follows a warning from Alan Milburn, whose interim review found Britain risks a “lost generation”, with more than one million 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The government said the new pathways would build on local initiatives such as the MBacc in Greater Manchester, with an ambition to begin rolling them out from September 2028.
Rather than a single national approach, the pathways will be shaped locally around growth sectors such as construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, depending on regional strengths and employer demand.
Funding will be prioritised towards high-quality technical education, and Ofsted’s inspection framework will change to recognise schools that prepare young people for work.
Lucy Powell, education secretary said: “Every young person should be able to see a route to success, whatever their talents or ambitions. That’s why today is so important. It marks the start of a real shared effort with employers, businesses, mayors and councils to design an education system that connects young people to jobs and careers in their local area.
“By offering high-quality technical and vocational education alongside academic achievement, we’ll give more young people the chance to leave education with the skills, confidence and opportunities they need to thrive in today’s economy and the careers of the future.”
Milburn said the announcement was “a big step in the right direction”, adding: “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.”
He said a “whole system reset” was needed across health, welfare and labour market policy, alongside education and skills, with further recommendations to follow in his final report.
Building a reaction
Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: “Vocational and technical roles have long been treated as a career of last resort. [This] announcement is an important recognition that construction and other skilled trades deserve to be valued every bit as highly as traditional academic routes. If we are serious about tackling youth unemployment and delivering the skilled workforce the country needs, we must give young people clearer pathways into rewarding careers in construction.”
He added: “We particularly welcome the commitment to link technical education more closely to local labour market needs, but builders must not be forgotten in this mix. Builders do not exist in pockets, like manufacturing, but are a nationwide network.
“Small builders train a large proportion of the construction workforce and have first-hand knowledge of the skills their communities require. Builders must be given a seat at the table as these reforms are developed. They will be instrumental in providing work experience, apprenticeships and employment opportunities, and their expertise will be crucial to ensuring that training meets the needs of both learners and industry.”
Justin Young, chief executive of RICS, said: “According to the ONS, youth unemployment stands at 16.4%, its highest level in 11 years. Giving young people earlier access to high-quality technical learning, meaningful work experience and direct contact with employers is a positive and necessary step that can help reverse this trend over time.
“Surveyors are central to planning, costing, valuing, constructing and maintaining the homes, workplaces and infrastructure on which every community depends. Yet too many young people reach important education decisions without understanding what surveying is, the breadth of careers it offers, or the routes available to enter the profession. RICS qualifications are globally recognised and open up the world to professionals holding them.
“Provisional findings from this year’s RICS skills survey tell us that more than half of respondents believe the skills shortage is having a real impact on the profession. Initiatives like this will help to reduce these concerns by improving opportunities to enter the built environment, whether through apprenticeships, further or higher education, or other recognised pathways into surveying.”
However, Young added a caveat: “For these reforms to succeed, schools and colleges will need sustained resources, teachers will need appropriate support, and technical courses must be developed with employers and professional bodies while meeting clear and consistent quality standards. RICS can contribute its expertise in surveying standards, education, careers guidance and professional progression to help turn these pathways into credible routes to a rewarding career.”
Andy Rayner, director of skills and apprenticeships at Travis Perkins plc, said: “Giving young people greater access to technical education from the age of 14 could be a positive step towards strengthening the construction skills pipeline, but the detail of how these pathways will work will be critical.
“For the reforms to deliver lasting results, schools, colleges and local construction employers must work closely together to shape courses, work experience and careers advice around the skills needed in their area. The pathways also need to connect clearly with further education and genuine employment opportunities, with a strong focus on apprenticeships rather than ending when pupils leave school.
“Many young people still have a limited understanding of the range of careers available across construction and, in particular, in the construction supply sector. Earlier exposure to the sector could help challenge those perceptions and show that technical education can lead to skilled, respected and long-term careers.
“Employers have a critical role to play in making sure these opportunities reflect the realities of the sector and give young people a clear route into work through offering apprenticeships.”
Stephen Teagle, chief executive of partnerships and regeneration at Vistry Group, said: “The Prime Minister is absolutely right to radically re-shape the education system to put technical qualifications, such as bricklaying, on an equal footing with academic degrees, and to give regional mayors a strong role in how this is implemented to best suit the needs of their area.
“The housebuilding industry is crying out for the next generation of skilled trades and construction workers to join us, not least as we need at least an additional 1.3 million tradespeople over the next decade so we can continue to deliver the homes that Britain needs. As you would expect, as one of the largest UK housebuilders, we have a vested interest in a competitive construction sector, equipped with a growing pipeline of skilled trades.
“But we also have a moral obligation to ensure that the housebuilding industry creates and sustains a technical and skills legacy, in partnership with government, right across the country to enable the next generation to succeed and prosper.”
Phil Scott, vice president of technology delivery at NBS, part of Hubexo, said: “This announcement is long overdue. Over a million 16-24-year-olds are currently outside education, employment or training, and construction is one of the sectors best positioned to welcome that talent, if we start engaging young people early and give them the right tools and experience.
“I started at NBS as an apprentice. That early, hands-on exposure to how the construction industry actually works shaped everything that followed. You can’t replicate that in a classroom alone.”
He added: “Back in 2022, our research found that 56% of 18-29-year-olds saw construction as an attractive career. The interest was there. Getting young people connected to real workflows, real product data and real employers isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s how you close a skills gap that’s been widening for years and the sector can’t afford to miss it again.”
Jambu Palaniappan chief executive of Checkatrade, raised the spectre of AI and how this technology is potentially reshaping the jobs market.
“Checkatrade’s recent Backing Britain’s Tradespeople report shows nearly half of young people are now considering a career in the trades, with apprenticeships more appealing to under-25s than a university degree,” Palaniappan said.
“That makes sense. As AI reshapes the office jobs market, a trade is one of the most secure bets a young person can make: you earn from day one, you gain a skill nobody can automate, and in most trades there’s a job waiting for you the moment you qualify.
“The appetite to embrace trade careers is there, and giving 14-year-olds earlier access to technical education and real employer contact is exactly how we close the gap between ambition and opportunity.
“We’re partnering with technical colleges to give learners a leg up in starting a business, and we’d be ready to work with schools, colleges and employers to build the ambitious routes this plan calls for.”
Further reaction
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: “For too long, young people leaving school, college or university have faced real uncertainty about what awaits them. They’re not short of talent or ambition, but the roles they need to kickstart their careers and build their futures appeared to have dried up. Meanwhile, rapid advances in AI are changing the world of work altogether.
“That’s why I welcome these new plans from the Prime Minister to tackle the root causes of youth unemployment. This is fully aligned with the work we’re already doing in London, including £18m of new funding from City Hall, to help thousands more young Londoners into work and training and to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.
“Our ambition is to build a future where every young person has the chance to follow their dreams, fulfil their potential and shape our world for the better, and this is the future that we’ll continue to build together.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Here in West Yorkshire, devolution has emboldened us to make a simple promise to our young people – that no one will leave education without having first set foot in a workplace.
“Now, these bold measures from the Prime Minister will empower us to go even further. By putting technical and academic education on an equal footing, we can help ensure that more of our young people leave school with the skills they need to succeed in life and work.”
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: “Andy Burnham is absolutely right to launch a national effort to tackle the crisis number of young people out of work, education and training. The place-based approach the new prime minister has set out is welcome and unions can play a key role in ensuring it is a success.
“Putting technical education on an equal footing with academia brings us closer to the international standard for skills. And a qualifications framework that gives all young people opportunities to develop the skills and experience they need to move into a good first job with decent prospects is the right move.
“It’s vital this is met with adequate funding for both FE and schools to ensure meaningful careers guidance and relevant technical routes for young people.”
Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the CBI, said: “There is an economic and moral imperative to tackle youth unemployment. Every young person out of work is unfulfilled potential, and economic growth is key to creating the opportunities they are looking for.
“Businesses need skills. Young people need opportunity. But right now, the system is not joining those two things up. We are asking young people to enter a labour market being reshaped at speed – and too many are not equipped to navigate it.
“Our members are ready to partner with the government and regional leaders to remove barriers to hiring and build pathways for young people into fulfilling work. Getting more people into work remains the most powerful route to higher living standards.”
Kate Shoesmith, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Through our work on Local Skills Improvement Plans, we have seen the positive changes possible when all parts of the system work well together – employers, educators and local authorities. This announcement is another step in the right direction and is essential when 75% of firms trying to recruit tell us they have difficulty finding the people they need.
“A more collaborative system which embeds businesses and labour market intelligence in schools from an early age is needed to permanently shift the dial. Giving Ofsted responsibility to assess how well schools prepare children for work is also a much-needed step.
“For a long time now, we’ve argued that this is exactly the type of business-government partnership required. Together we can guide young people successfully into work and support the growth our economy desperately needs.”
Image credit: CITB
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