Burnham’s Big Education Idea Is Already Working In UTCs

At the start of his second week as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has announced what amounts to a revolution in education policy.

We have heard arguments about achieving “parity of esteem” between technical and academic pathways before, and important questions about policy detail and funding remain unanswered. But the intent behind this announcement is far bolder: to fundamentally change how England educates young people from the age of 14.

Drawing on his experience of introducing the MBacc in Greater Manchester, the Prime Minister wants to reshape Key Stage 4 by combining core academic subjects with technical learning, work experience and meaningful contact with employers. That ambition is necessary and long overdue.

It is the approach that University Technical Colleges have been quietly delivering for 16 years

What feels radical is the commitment to make this an option for all young people. But the underlying idea is not wholly new. It is the approach that University Technical Colleges have been quietly delivering for 16 years. At the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, we have championed this blend of academic and technical education since 2009.

This is not the moment for the UTC movement to say: “We told you so.” It is an opportunity for government to move quickly and confidently, drawing on a proven model that already works in communities across England.

Employers and universities could see a growing gap between what young people experienced at school and the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed in the workplace

Our founders, Lord Baker and the late Lord Dearing, pioneered the UTC model because employers and universities could see a growing gap between what young people experienced at school and the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed in the workplace. Today, 44 UTCs educate around 21,000 students, supported by more than 500 employers and universities.

Their strength is not simply that they offer technical qualifications. UTCs combine English, maths, science and other academic subjects with specialist pathways in fields including engineering, digital technology, health, life sciences and the creative industries.

Students learn using industry-standard equipment, tackle projects designed with employers and meet the people doing the jobs they may one day pursue.

This gives young people something every rigorous education route should provide: a clear line of sight from the classroom to a successful adult life. It also gives parents confidence that choosing technical education is an ambitious choice, linked to real opportunities in the local labour market and the industries that will drive future national growth.

The results deserve attention. Each year around a fifth of UTC leavers progress to an apprenticeship, more than twice the national average. UTC students are also more than five times as likely as school and college leavers nationally to progress to an apprenticeship at level 4 or above. Half of all UTCs saw no leavers become NEET upon progression last year. More than 80 per cent of the UTC network is rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

No Dead Ends

Burnham’s commitment to creating “no dead ends” is therefore exactly right. The best technical pathways do not narrow a young person’s future, they widen it.

The government should treat the UTC network as a national asset and a delivery partner for its ambitious reform agenda. Ministers and officials do not need to reinvent the wheel. They can visit UTCs, speak to students and employers, examine their curricula and learn how sustained partnerships are built.

That final point matters. Employer engagement cannot mean an occasional careers talk or a logo on a prospectus. In a UTC, employers help shape the curriculum, provide mentoring and work experience, advise on equipment and recruit students into apprenticeships and jobs. Their involvement is structural, not decorative.

Employer involvement shapes both learning and behaviour. UTC students work to professional standards, with their performance tested by educators and industry experts. They develop the resilience, independence and teamwork needed to solve real-world problems.

For many young people in disadvantaged communities, those connections would otherwise be out of reach

These relationships also give students access to professional networks that can lead to placements, apprenticeships and jobs. For many young people in disadvantaged communities, those connections would otherwise be out of reach. UTCs provide not only qualifications, but also the confidence and social capital needed to succeed at work. UTC Sleeves, developed by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, bring a high-quality, employer-led technical pathway into mainstream schools. Our work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the MBacc Award and two local Sleeves shows how the model can turn ambition into practical provision shaped by young people, employers and the local economy.

It should complement the excellent work of further education colleges, not create artificial competition

Expansion must preserve what makes the model successful. Technical education needs specialist teachers, proper facilities, strong leadership and genuine employer ownership. It should complement the excellent work of further education colleges, not create artificial competition. Everyone in the sector should roll up their sleeves to help, from schools, UTCs, colleges and universities, to multi-academy trusts, local authorities, independent training providers and employers.

Burnham’s announcement is a powerful vote of confidence in the principles on which UTCs were founded. The opportunity now is to put those principles at the heart of the national education system.

The UTC movement stands ready to share what it has learned. Government has set an ambitious destination for technical education. We can help show it how to get there.

By Kate Ambrosi, Chief Executive of Baker Dearing Educational Trust