Govt to Launch Technical Education Pathways for Year 10 Students

The Prime Minister has today announced the intention to establish new technical education pathways for secondary school pupils in England.

The new pathways will provide 14-year-olds with early access to technical skills, work experience and connections with local employers.

Under the proposals, Year 10 students will have the chance to combine core academic subjects – including English, maths and science – with a technical education that is linked to potential jobs in their area.

The government says the new technical routes will help young people to develop the knowledge and skills needed to progress in areas like engineering, healthcare and digital technology, upskilling them with the specific knowledge and capabilities that local employers need.

The pathways are expected to be up and running in some areas by September 2028.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham

Prime Minister Andy 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.

“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.

“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.”

More Details

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) welcomed today’s announcement but called for further detail on how the plans will be delivered on the ground.

The organisation’s own research underlines the scale of the challenge. Its latest State of the UK Roofing Industry report found that 47% of roofing contractors said recruiting skilled labour was harder than a year earlier, and 58% said skilled labour shortages were limiting the amount of work their business could take on. Just 2% of contractors thought it was currently easy to attract new workers to the industry.

Ruth Scarrott, NFRC Head of Careers

Ruth Scarrott, NFRC Head of Careers, commented: “Anything that gets roofing and construction in front of young people earlier, and treats technical education as equal to the academic route, is a step in the right direction. Our members continually tell us that finding skilled people is one of their biggest challenges.

“However, we need to see more detail on how this will work in practice. There’s a real opportunity here to build on established programmes, like Local Skills Improvement Plans, rather than creating something parallel that competes for the same employers’ time and attention.

“It’s also vital that schools are supported to work with smaller, local construction firms, not just the large national employers who tend to have dedicated resource for this kind of engagement. Most of our members are SMEs, and they’re often the ones best placed to offer a young person a genuine route into the trade in their own community. But a small contractor with a handful of staff can’t always give the same time to school visits and work placements that a large employer can, so any new system needs to make it straightforward and low-burden for them to get involved.”

Extra Support

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) agreed that the Prime Minister’s plans to put technical education on an equal footing with academic routes could help address the construction sector’s long-running skills issues, but also called for further action to support apprenticeships and help building firms train the next generation of builders.

Brian Berry, FMB Chief Executive

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Vocational and technical roles have long been treated as a career of last resort. Today’s 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.

“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.”

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