Andy Burnham wants schools to develop technical and vocational courses for students aged 14 and above, responsive to local jobs market. Photograph: Juice Images/Alamy View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham wants schools to develop technical and vocational courses for students aged 14 and above, responsive to local jobs market. Photograph: Juice Images/Alamy Vocational education Analysis Andy Burnham’s plans for technical education build on coalition’s UTC roots Sally Weale Education correspondent PM’s vocational model also takes inspiration from former education secretary Kenneth Baker’s vision
Andy Burnham’s plans to put academic and technical education routes on an equal footing in England have been welcomed by many, but none were more enthusiastic than the former Conservative minister Kenneth Baker.
“I’m very impressed with what he has said,” the 91-year-old former education secretary, home secretary and Conservative party chair told the Guardian. “It’s a very significant announcement. I’m going to try to persuade the Conservative party to support this.”
Lord Baker and Burnham may seem strange bedfellows. They belong to different generations; they support different political parties. But at a time when a million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education or training (Neets), they share a vision for a school system in which technical and vocational skills are as valued as academic qualifications.
The new prime minister’s plans for schools to develop technical and vocational courses for students aged 14 and above, which are responsive to the local jobs market, are based in part on the Greater Manchester baccalaureate he introduced as the region’s mayor in 2023. The inspiration for Burnham’s MBacc, however, lies in Baker’s longstanding vision for high-quality vocational and technical education delivered via university technical colleges, or UTCs.
First introduced by the coalition government in 2010, UTCs are state schools for 14- to 19-year-olds, funded by government, which work with local employers and universities to deliver a specialist technical education alongside core curriculum subjects.
Baker is president of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which oversees England’s 44 UTCs. They have faced significant challenges in the past – some have struggled with recruitment, a number have closed and Ofsted inspections have not always been positive – but if success is measured by how few pupils end up Neet, they look like a success.
View image in fullscreen Kenneth Baker, president of trust overseeing 44 UTCs, said he was ‘very impressed’ with Burnham’s plans. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian According to Baker, UTCs today have the lowest level of youth unemployment of any group of schools – less than 5%, compared with 16.4% in state secondary schools. “I’m very proud of the fact that last year half of our schools had no unemployment,” said Baker. “Every student went on to further education, or a university or a job. It’s an exceptional achievement.”
Critically, Burnham has identified that the key to success is starting a technical route at 14, said Baker. “It’s too late to do it at 16.”
In what could be a blueprint for the new Burnham vision, Walney School in Barrow-in-Furness will this September introduce an employer-led technical education pathway – a UTC “sleeve” within the school – to equip young people with the skills for high-quality careers in healthcare and engineering, and help local employers tackle ski…