Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has set a new national target for young people’s education, pledging that two-thirds of under-25s should go on to university, college or apprenticeships after leaving school.
The goal, announced at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, updates Tony Blair’s 1999 ambition to see 50% of young people enter university, a symbolic milestone achieved in 2019. Starmer said the old aspiration was “no longer right for our times”, and the new approach would better reflect the importance of skills training alongside traditional degrees.
Focus on Skills as Well as Degrees
The government said the new target emphasises a wider definition of higher-level education, including:
- University degrees
- Degree-level apprenticeships, partly funded through an employer levy
- Higher technical qualifications offered in further education colleges
By 2040, ministers want at least 10% of young people to pursue higher technical courses or apprenticeships, nearly double today’s level.
Starmer said the choice of what and how to study will remain with students in England, but his government aims to give technical qualifications “equal value” to university degrees.
Colleges Seen as “Forgotten Heroes”
The shift in tone has been welcomed across the education and manufacturing sectors.
David Hughes, of the Association of Colleges, called the move “truly significant” but warned: “The prime minister knows he is going to have to invest in colleges to back up his warm words.”
Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, said the plan finally gave advanced technical skills “the equal value to university that we have long advocated for”.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added that colleges had been “the forgotten heroes of the education system” and deserved renewed support.
Demand for University Remains Strong
While apprenticeships and technical routes are being elevated, demand for university places shows no sign of slowing. In 2024, 37% of 18-year-olds in England entered higher education via UCAS, and universities face no cap on admissions outside regulated courses such as medicine.
The expansion of higher education over the past two decades has fuelled debate about value for money, with tuition fees in England now set at £9,535 a year and concerns growing over student living costs.
Nonetheless, Starmer insisted the new target would ensure Britain’s young people have the opportunities they need to thrive in a modern economy.
