Milburn calls for preparatory route to apprenticeships
The former British minister sees an intermediate step for young people not yet ready for an apprenticeship as part of a broader approach to youth unemployment.
In the United Kingdom, there are calls for a new preparatory route into apprenticeships. Alan Milburn bases his proposal on independent research into almost one million young people not working, studying or undertaking training.
The proposal stems from the Young People and Work report, which Milburn prepared at the request of the British government. According to the report, many young people are interested in work, but lack work experience, guidance and a straightforward transition from school to the labour market.
Milburn points out that fewer and fewer young people are starting an apprenticeship. In England, the number of starts among under-19s fell, according to the report, from around 130,000 in 2014-2015 to around 75,000 in 2024-2025. The share of starts among under-25s also declined.
A preparatory route would initially provide young people with work experience, guidance and basic skills before they begin a formal apprenticeship. The idea is mainly intended for young people who want to participate but are not immediately taken on because of a lack of experience or support. The report describes pre-apprenticeship activities as a possible destination for funds from the training levy.
The British government has already announced measures. Young people under 25 will receive free apprenticeship training in certain groups, and small employers may receive financial support when they take on a young apprentice. In addition, foundation apprenticeships have been established as paid entry-level jobs with structured level 2 training.
Those measures are not yet evidence that youth unemployment is falling. The British report is a diagnosis and does not yet contain the definitive reform plan. It also warns that previous programmes were often small-scale, funded temporarily and insufficiently coordinated with schools, care services and local authorities.
Employers' organisations support the focus on entry opportunities, but also point to the quality of training and the costs of guidance. An additional route can help if it leads to real jobs and recognised qualifications. If young people mainly end up in temporary schemes without a progression route, the problem is merely shifted.
The British debate is relevant to the Netherlands because the transition from education to work is also a recurring policy problem here. The British figures do not apply directly to the Netherlands, but the underlying question is recognisable: who bears responsibility for young people who do not yet meet an employer's requirements? The British government still has to decide on that.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The British interim report describes almost one million young people outside education, training and work.
- The report identifies a lack of work experience and guidance as important barriers.
- The government has already announced foundation apprenticeships and financial support, but the definitive reform plan is still to follow.
Left
Arguments The state should provide a guaranteed route into education or work, with guidance, income and protection against schemes with no prospects. Young people should not be blamed for a lack of opportunities that institutions should have provided.
Values Equal opportunities, social protection and public responsibility.
Consequences Greater public investment could give young people prospects more quickly, but would require long-term funding and robust quality control.
Centre
Arguments A preparatory route can be useful if schools, local authorities, employers and care services work together and if schemes lead to recognised qualifications. The government should set the framework conditions, but not design every scheme centrally.
Values Practical feasibility, cooperation and proven quality.
Consequences A targeted approach could improve the transition without building an entirely new education system; the results would, however, become visible only slowly.
Right
Arguments Employers should be given room to train young people in the workplace, with less administrative burden and temporary financial incentives. Young people primarily need real jobs and work experience, not lengthy bureaucratic schemes.
Values Work, responsibility, enterprise and efficiency.
Consequences Greater flexibility could speed up entry, but without oversight there is a risk that employers will gain cheap temporary labour without providing proper training.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The recommendation and labour-market figures were checked against the British interim report and parliamentary record. The text makes clear that the proposed route has not yet been definitively introduced.
- confirmed Almost one million British young people aged 16 to 24 are not in work, training or education. — Mentioned in Milburn's interim report. source
- confirmed Apprenticeship starts among under-19s in England fell from around 130,000 to around 75,000. — The report compares 2014-2015 with 2024-2025. source
- confirmed The British government has announced foundation apprenticeships and financial support for young apprentices. — The government describes these measures in its own announcement. source
Editor's note
The proposal for a preparatory route is a policy recommendation, not an established new system. The figures come from the British interim report; the effects of the new measures are not yet known.Sources
- Young people and work: interim report — UK Department for Work and Pensions
- Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home — UK Government
- Milburn Review: Interim Report — UK Parliament Hansard
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „verenigd koninkrijk”
- NOS — „verenigd koninkrijk”
- Het Parool — „verenigd koninkrijk”