Andy Burnham is preparing to announce the biggest overhaul of the English education system in 15 years, ending decades of policy that prioritised university preparation over technical training. The prime minister frames the reform as a response to a "lost generation" of young people, with one million currently unemployed or outside education and work, and describes it as putting "the hard hat" on an equal footing with "the graduation cap" — a notable break from Sir Tony Blair's push to send half of school leavers to university.

Under the plans, students aged 14 (Year 10) will be able to combine core academic subjects such as English, maths and science with technical education linked to local job markets, gaining work experience and employer contacts in areas like engineering, healthcare and digital technology. The changes, described as the biggest shift since Michael Gove's 2011 academies and free schools reforms, will be funded through an existing £570 million further education investment and the wider Department for Education settlement, which raises schools funding by £4.7 billion by 2028-29.