Secondary school pupils in England will be able to study subjects like manufacturing and AI in addition to core academic learning under reforms outlined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The government said the courses, which would be available from Year 10, would be linked to local industries and designed to give children a clearer pathway into work.

Data published this year showed more than one million young people across the UK were not in education, employment or training, the highest level in more than 12 years.

The government has described the policy as a “fundamental change to the education system” but few details behind the broad political vision have been published so far.

The BBC understands that the government expects the new pathways into work to be up and running in some areas by 2028.

Writing in the Times, external, Burnham said: “In the age of AI, practical and technical skills haven’t become less valuable – they’ve become more valuable than ever. Britain will need brilliant engineers, electricians and cybersecurity experts more than ever before.

“For the first time, technical education will be at the heart of our curriculum, not bolted onto the sides.”

Pupils would continue to study core maths, English and science but would also have the option of combining the subjects with technical education.

It will include the chance to gain work experience and create connections with local employers, Burnham said, with the government saying the policy will eventually drive down the amount spent on welfare for young people.

Burnham said that “for too long” students had been told to take academic subjects and that a technical education should be valued as much as a university degree, a shift which began under Sir Keir Starmer.

The Association of School and College Leaders said they welcomed the ambition of preventing young people falling out of education or work at 16 – but warned that with schools already facing tight budgets and implementing radical reforms to special education needs, there could be an issue with capacity.

General secretary of the NAHT school leaders union Paul Whiteman also welcomed the announcement but called for “greater clarity” about funding and practical details.

Along with the changes to learning, Ofsted will change the way it measures performance and will inspect for technical education, but it is not clear how this will fit alongside national measures designed to hold schools to account.

In 2020, T-levels were introduced as a technical education alternative to A-Levels in England, with courses including construction, agriculture and health.

Former prime minister Sir Keir announced earlier this year that V-levels would be an additional vocational option for students post-16 from 2027.

Where T-levels are a set course broadly equivalent to three A-levels, V-levels would be equivalent to one A-level, allowing students to mix and match academic and vocational subjects.

The changes announced on Tuesday will only impact England but improving access to technical and vocational education has been a common focus for governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland too in recent years.

The policy will build on local initiatives like the MBacc, or Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, which was launched in September 2024 by Burnham when he was the city’s mayor.

It has provided a framework for pupils to pick GCSE subjects in both academic and technical subjects which align with growing local industries, like green energy or digital.

Teenagers under this programme have also been promised more careers advice and work experience that links to seven sectors of work.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the announcement marked the “start of a real shared effort with employers, businesses, mayors and councils to design an education system that connects young people to jobs and careers in their local area”.

“The technological revolution we are living through should mean young people become the fresh lifeblood our economy needs to adapt and grow,” she said.

In May, an interim report by former Alan Milburn warned the number of young people not in employment, education or training – known as “Neet” – risked leading to a “lost generation”.

That report was published the same day as figures from the Office for National Statistics showed more than one in eight of UK 16- to 24-year-olds were Neet at the start of this year.

Milburn said the changes announced by Burnham were “consistent with the findings of my review”.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said the announcements “don’t come anywhere close to undoing the damage Labour has already done to the job market”, adding: “The focus should be on the knowledge-rich curriculum that has helped the most deprived children.”

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said there had to be provisions to allow pupils flexibility to “change direction and move between ‘academic’ and ‘technical'”.

“We must not allow these changes to predetermine children’s futures at just 14, baking in disadvantage,” she added.