Time to build new life paths for the young away from university

ALL over the country, as GCSE results sink in, young people are waking up this morning to big decisions about their futures.

- ANDY BURNHAM

Sadly, that is much easier for some than it is for others.

For too long, under all parties, education in England has been dominated by the university route.

Don't get me wrong ~ that is a great choice for many young people. The UK has some of the best in the world and it is good that these days they are open to many more than they used to be.

The problem is it is not right for everyone. In Greater Manchester, two thirds of young people don't take the traditional university route.

To many of them, it feels like they are forgotten by an education system which doesn't give the same priority to technical education nor open up the same clear paths beyond school.

The truth is, this morning, about a third to a half of young people will have a clear direction ahead through A Levels, UCAS and university while a majority will be left to work out for themselves the best way to plan their journey towards the world of work.