Westminster View: Backing skills for the future

For generations, we've treated university as the clearest route to a successful career. Going to university can be an incredible opportunity, and we should continue encouraging young people who want to take that path. But it shouldn't come at the expense of recognising other ambitions as equally valuable. 

Some young people learn best by putting knowledge into practice. Others know from an early age that they want a technical career. Our education system should help them pursue that ambition with the same confidence and support we give someone planning to go to university. 

That's why I welcome the Labour Government's plans to put technical and academic education on an equal footing. 

Under the reforms announced by the Prime Minister, young people will be able to access new technical education pathways from the age of 14. They'll continue studying core subjects, but will also have the opportunity to develop practical skills and gain meaningful experience of the workplace. Crucially, the routes available will be shaped with local employers so that young people can see a clearer connection between what they learn and the careers available around them.  

That local connection really matters. 

Across Peterborough and Huntingdonshire, we have businesses looking for skilled workers and young people looking for good opportunities. I've seen during visits to local schools and employers how much enthusiasm exists on both sides. Education should do more to bring those two together. 

It also means recognising that a technical route isn't a fallback for someone who wasn't suited to an academic one. These are skilled careers that our economy depends upon, and many offer fantastic opportunities to build a secure and rewarding future. 

This becomes even more important as technology changes the world of work. The skills employers need are evolving quickly, and our education system has to keep pace. Giving young people experience of workplaces earlier can help them understand where their talents might take them, while giving businesses a stronger role in developing the workforce they will need in the years ahead. 

There is a wider challenge here too. More than a million 16 to 24-year-olds are currently not in education, employment or training. That should concern all of us. Losing touch with education or work at the beginning of adult life can have consequences that last for years, so we need to make sure young people can see a route forward before they reach that point.  

Labour's ambition to create 50,000 more youth apprenticeships and its Youth Guarantee are part of that same effort. These new technical pathways can help us start even earlier, building a stronger bridge between the classroom and a young person's future.  

Success shouldn't be defined by which route somebody takes after school. It should be about giving every young person the chance to discover what they're good at and turn that potential into a future they can be proud of. 

That's an ambition worth getting right.