A good education is the only way that working people can get the best from our economy. And that goes beyond schools. Especially for the country’s young men.
This is the view of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who was speaking at the Trades Union Congress annual conference in Brighton, 2025, on Tuesday (9 September).
Phillipson said that the government has recognised that there are still groups of children in he country for whom school just isn’t working.
“When we deny our working-class kids the opportunity their talent demands. We deny the country the chance of a brighter future. Wages lower. Work less secure. Growth on the floor. And that breeds resentment, Congress. Dark clouds hanging over our towns and cities.”
Phillipson said she was particularly concerned about some of the country’s young men who were increasingly becoming disenfranchised and left out of the wider economy.
“He’s left the classroom behind. He’s not sure what’s next. But he doesn’t want to be sitting on mam and dad’s sofa come September. He wants to get on. But without the right support, he could so easily slip into stagnation.
“Retreating into a parallel life. Days and nights spent alone in his bedroom. Accessing all manner of material online. Vulnerable to the toxic messages he finds there. As the months pass, hope disappears. And anger seeps into the gaps. That’s how our social fabric begins to fray.”
But it doesn’t have to be that way, Phillipson said. She added that it is the government’s task to help that young man claim a stake in society.
He needs top-quality choices. A route into university. Or a great apprenticeship, she said.
“Like the apprentices I met at British Steel in Scunthorpe last month. Who wouldn’t have had that chance were it not for this government stepping in and taking action to secure its future.
“And I am delighted that British Steel are now taking on their first apprentices in three years. For our man, an apprenticeship is the chance to learn a trade. To earn the respect of his friends. To feel a part of something. That’s why we’re revitalising apprenticeships for young people in this country.
“Widening access, adding flexibility, more people earning and learning. Adding to their prosperity and our country’s growth. Because that’s the win-win of investing in skills.”
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