Prime Minister Andy Burnham Is Right to Reform Education. But Young People Need More Than Qualifications.
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s announcement that young people in England will be able to begin technical education pathways from the age of 14 represents one of the most significant education reforms in a generation.
Giving young people the opportunity to combine academic learning with practical, career-focused education linked to local employers is a positive and welcome step.
At Genuine Futures CIC, we welcome the ambition behind these reforms.
For too long, Britain has measured success through a single route. Academic achievement has often been viewed as the benchmark, while vocational learning, technical education and practical skills have too frequently been treated as second best.
That no longer reflects the world we live in.
The industries driving Britain’s future economy—including engineering, construction, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, cyber security, digital technology, green industries and advanced manufacturing—depend upon highly skilled people.
Technical education deserves the same respect as traditional academic pathways.
However, if we genuinely want to tackle Britain’s youth inactivity crisis, qualifications alone will never be enough.
The Youth Inactivity Crisis Starts Long Before Young People Leave School
More than one million young people across the UK are now not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Behind every statistic is a young person with talent, ambition and untapped potential.
The reality is that very few young people suddenly disengage when they leave school.
For many, the journey begins years earlier.
It may start with:
- Poor attendance.
- Feeling isolated.
- Bullying.
- Poverty.
- Family instability.
- Mental health challenges.
- Exclusion.
- Low confidence.
- Feeling invisible within the education system.
By the time many young people reach Year 11, they have already begun to lose confidence in themselves and in the system around them.
That is why prevention matters.
Education Must Build Confidence as Well as Qualifications
Technical education is important.
Academic education is important.
But confidence is equally important.
Young people engage with people before they engage with programmes.
During more than 26 years of working alongside young people, we have consistently seen that trusted relationships are the foundation upon which everything else is built.
When a young person feels listened to, respected and believed in, they begin to see opportunities differently.
Attendance improves.
Confidence grows.
Skills develop.
Ambition returns.
No curriculum reform can reach its full potential unless young people first believe they belong.
Employers Must Become Partners in Education
One of the strongest aspects of the Prime Minister’s proposals is the commitment to increase employer involvement.
This has the potential to transform how young people experience education.
Work experience should not be viewed as a single placement during secondary school.
It should become an ongoing part of every young person’s journey.
Imagine every young person regularly having opportunities to:
- Visit local businesses.
- Meet employers.
- Learn from entrepreneurs.
- Complete real-world projects.
- Experience different workplaces.
- Develop communication and teamwork skills.
- Build professional networks.
- Discover careers linked to their strengths.
Young people cannot aspire to careers they have never seen.
Enterprise Must Sit Alongside Employment
One important area still missing from the national conversation is entrepreneurship.
Not every young person wants employment.
Some want to create employment.
Enterprise education should stand alongside apprenticeships, employment and further education as an equally respected pathway.
At Genuine Futures, we see first-hand what happens when young people are trusted to solve real problems.
Through initiatives including Boss Your Future, Clean Futures and We Shine Any Car, young people gain practical experience while making a positive contribution to their communities.
They develop:
- Leadership.
- Teamwork.
- Communication.
- Customer service.
- Financial awareness.
- Resilience.
- Responsibility.
Most importantly, they begin to believe in themselves.
Learning by doing often has a greater impact than learning by simply listening.
Schools Cannot Solve This Alone
Teachers and school leaders already face enormous pressures.
Supporting attendance.
Improving attainment.
Meeting safeguarding responsibilities.
Responding to growing mental health needs.
Supporting children with additional needs.
Managing behaviour.
Schools cannot solve youth inactivity on their own.
Neither can employers.
Nor can local authorities.
The answer is genuine partnership.
Government.
Schools.
Colleges.
Businesses.
Youth organisations.
Social enterprises.
Community groups.
Families.
When these organisations work together, young people receive joined-up support rather than fragmented services.
Prevention Is Better for Young People and Better for Britain
Too often Britain invests after problems become crises.
After exclusion.
After unemployment.
After homelessness.
After involvement with the criminal justice system.
By then, opportunities have already been lost.
Investing earlier delivers better outcomes for young people and far better value for taxpayers.
Every young person who remains connected to education, employment or enterprise strengthens our communities, our economy and our future workforce.
Prevention is not simply compassionate.
It is one of the smartest investments Britain can make.
What We Have Learned Over 26 Years of Working With Young People
Our approach has not been developed overnight.
It has been shaped by more than 26 years of working alongside young people across education, youth justice, employment, enterprise and community settings.
Throughout that time, one lesson has remained constant.
Young people are not hard to reach.
Too often, services are simply hard to reach.
Since launching Genuine Futures CIC in 2023, we have put that belief into practice.
Working alongside employers, schools, local authorities, charities and community partners, we have supported young people to:
- Return to education.
- Secure employment.
- Start their own businesses.
- Gain meaningful work experience.
- Build confidence.
- Strengthen relationships.
- Rediscover purpose.
These outcomes were not achieved through qualifications alone.
They happened because someone took the time to listen, build trust and create opportunities that reflected each young person’s strengths.
For more than 26 years, our experience has shown that when young people are given genuine belief, practical opportunities and consistent support, they rarely fail to surprise us.
A Positive Step—Now Let’s Go Further
Prime Minister Andy Burnham deserves credit for recognising that Britain needs to rethink how we prepare young people for the future.
Giving technical education greater prominence is absolutely the right direction of travel.
But this should become part of something much bigger.
Britain needs an education system that values academic achievement, technical excellence, creativity, entrepreneurship and community equally.
One that develops confidence alongside competence.
One that builds belonging before measuring performance.
One that recognises every young person’s strengths—not simply their grades.
If we truly want to reduce youth inactivity, we must invest not only in qualifications but also in trusted adults, employer partnerships, enterprise education, youth voice and early intervention.
Because every young person deserves more than an education.
They deserve a future.
Voices from Genuine Futures
Sam Smith, Founder and Co-Director of Genuine Futures CIC, said:
“Having worked alongside young people for more than 26 years, I’ve learned that no young person should ever be defined by their circumstances or written off because they don’t fit a traditional pathway. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is right to recognise that technical education deserves greater respect, but qualifications alone won’t solve Britain’s youth inactivity crisis. Before we build skills, we must build trust. Prevention starts with listening, and when young people have trusted relationships alongside real opportunities, they achieve far more than many people ever expected.”
Mike Alleyne, Co-Director of Genuine Futures CIC, added:
“Every young person has strengths, talents and potential, but not everyone learns in the same way. That’s why practical learning, employer engagement and enterprise are so important. Young people grow when they are given responsibility, encouraged to solve real problems and supported by people who believe in them. Education should prepare young people for life, not just exams. It should help every young person discover what they are capable of and where they belong.”
Sam Smith and Mike Alleyne concluded:
“We welcome these reforms and look forward to working alongside schools, employers, local authorities and Government to help turn this vision into reality. Britain doesn’t have a shortage of talented young people. It has a shortage of opportunities that recognise those talents early enough. Together, we can build an education system that values academic achievement, technical excellence, enterprise and, above all, every young person’s potential.”
About Genuine Futures CIC
Genuine Futures CIC is a Bolton-based social enterprise helping young people overcome barriers to education, employment and enterprise.
With more than 26 years of experience working alongside young people, our team combines lived experience, trusted relationships and practical learning to create genuine pathways into opportunity.
Through programmes such as Boss Your Future, Clean Futures and We Shine Any Car, we work alongside schools, employers, local authorities, charities and community partners to help young people build confidence, develop skills and create brighter futures.
We believe prevention is more effective than crisis intervention.
We believe every young person has strengths worth investing in.
And we believe opportunity changes lives.
Bridging the Gap to Opportunity.
Call to Action
If you’re a school, employer, local authority, funder or community organisation that believes every young person deserves a pathway into opportunity, we’d love to work with you.
Together, we can create an education system that values academic achievement, technical excellence, enterprise and belonging—where every young person has the chance to thrive.
