ANDY BURNHAM vowed today to bring down the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neets) during his time in office.

The Prime Minister made the commitment as he unveiled plans to open up new technical education routes for 14-year-olds and to put them on an equal footing with traditional academic pathways.

From Year 10, pupils will be able to combine core academic subjects, such as English and maths, with technical education linked to jobs available in their area.

During a visit to Derby, Mr Burnham said that the changes were “long overdue” and that it was “just not right” that the current system left young people not on the university pathway feeling “that they’re some kind of second-class citizens.”

The planned reform “brings hope to a lot of young people” who “know the education system is not built for them,” he added.

Official data shows the number of Neets has topped one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March.

Former Labour minister Alan Milburn welcomed the reforms as a “big step in the right direction and consistent with the findings” of his interim report, published in May, which warned against allowing the emergence of a “lost generation” of young people ill-prepared for work. 

The new technical pathways, which will pair skills training with work experience and connections with local employers, are set to be rolled out from September 2028.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said that schools would “need much greater clarity about what it means in practice and over funding.”

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede added: “Andy Burnham’s first announcement should have been that he will end austerity in education. 

“These proposed changes to technical education are welcome, but they will hit the skids unless there is sufficient investment in schools.”

NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack warned of “a dearth of detail on how these new pathways will work and how they will be integrated with the existing curriculum.”

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio described the announcement’s timing during the school summer holiday as “unfortunate,” while University and College Union leader Jo Grady warned that “burnt-out and underpaid staff cannot deliver transformation.”