Labour’s youth unemployment tsar hits out at ‘exam-obsessed’ British schools
Alan Milburn, the government’s adviser on youth unemployment, has criticized the school system after a new survey revealed teachers believe there is too much emphasis on exams.
Mr Milburn is currently leading a government-commissioned review into youth and employment; This review aims to tackle the growing number not in employment, education or training (Neet).
The former cabinet secretary under Tony Blair said schools were “exam-obsessed”, saying there was not enough emphasis on life and work readiness and too much emphasis on academic classification.
He said: “Teachers are right. We have built an education system that is excellent at sorting young people by academic ability and poor at equipping them for adult life. Employers say over and over again that young people are not ready for work.” Guard reported.
His comments came in response to a YouGov survey of 1,004 teachers in the UK which found that almost three quarters (74 per cent) felt there was too much emphasis on passing exams. 73 percent said there was not enough focus on preparing students for employment or ‘soft skills’.
The same proportion of respondents said the curriculum could be adapted to offer a wider range of job-focused skills without lowering standards.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of teachers said job readiness had declined overall and almost all (98 per cent) supported careers advice in all schools.
Mr Milburn commented: “In a rapidly changing job market, schools need to equip young people with the qualities they need to succeed – communication and collaboration skills, agility and creativity.
“The government’s commitment to stronger study preparation in schools is welcome and the right direction to travel, but this ambition needs to be met with action at scale.”
The former Labor Minister’s intervention comes as the government continues its review of young people and work commissioned in late 2025. The final report is expected to be published in July 2026.
Between 25 October and December the number of young people not in employment, education or training reached 957,000; This equates to 12.8 percent of all people between the ages of 16 and 24. Experts estimate that without government intervention, this figure will reach one million.
The Ministry of National Education was contacted for opinion.
