In this opinion piece, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott criticises the Labour government's approach to tackling youth unemployment, arguing it is reforming schools instead of addressing the real causes of joblessness. She contends that Labour's Employment Rights Act, minimum wage increases and higher employer national insurance contributions have made it more expensive to hire young people, while the welfare system continues to disincentivise work, yet the government's response has been to alter education policy rather than fix these underlying problems.

Trott specifically objects to proposals from Andy Burnham to introduce technical subjects such as manufacturing and AI to pupils from age 14 (Year 10), linked to local industries, warning this risks channelling disadvantaged pupils away from rigorous academic education while better-off schools continue to focus on academic achievers. She cites Labour's 2005 14-19 reforms as a past example of similar policies lowering expectations for poorer children, contrasting this with Conservative measures like the 2010 Academies Act, which she credits with proving disadvantaged pupils can succeed academically. She notes over a million 16-24 year-olds are currently classed as Neet (not in education, employment or training), and states the Conservatives have their own plan to boost youth employment, though the article cuts off before detailing it.