UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped former PM Tony Blair’s university target, pledging that two-thirds of young people will study or take apprenticeships.
As reported by The Independent, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned Tony Blair’s 1999 target of 50% university attendance.
He has replaced it with an ambition for two-thirds of young people to pursue degrees or “gold standard” apprenticeships.
How did Keir Starmer justify scrapping Blair’s 50% university pledge?
Sir Keir Starmer said the 1999 target set by Tony Blair is “not right for our times.”
He told the Labour Party conference,
“Some politicians say, ‘I want every child to have the same opportunities that I had’. You hear a lot of that in Westminster, but that’s not me, though.”
Mr Starmer stated,
“What I want is a Britain where people are treated with the dignity that they deserve for making different choices. Choices our country needs, choices we should value, choices that deserve our respect.”
Labour leader said,
“And so, conference, while you will never hear me denigrate the aspiration to go to university, I don’t think the way we currently measure success in education – that ambition to get 50 per cent of kids to uni – I don’t think that’s right for our times, because if you’re a kid or a parent of a kid who chooses an apprenticeship, what does it say to you? Do we genuinely, as a country, afford them the same respect?”
He stated,
“Because we should, but I can’t help feeling that my dad was right.”
Mr Starmer said,
“So, conference, today I can announce we will scrap that target and replace it with a new ambition that two-thirds of our children should go either to university or take a gold standard apprenticeship.”
The prime minister’s remarks recalled Sir Gavin Williamson, an ex-Tory education secretary, who called Tony Blair’s goal “absurd” and criticised the bias toward higher education.
What funding and plans did Labour unveil for young people?
Labour has not published data on how many children are currently pursuing higher education or “gold standard” apprenticeships.
Under the plan, two-thirds of young people will gain higher-level skills by 25, through university, further education, or a “gold standard apprenticeship.”
The party will provide almost £800 million in additional funding for 16- to 19-year-olds, supporting 20,000 more students.
The move comes as Labour seeks to tackle the number of young people not in employment, education, or training.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that young people claiming benefits for over 18 months will be offered paid work, with universal credit withdrawn if they refuse.
Keir Starmer and the chancellor aim to lower the rising benefits bill by encouraging greater workforce participation.
What did Rebecca Montacute say about apprenticeship access and fairness?
A think tank, the Social Market Foundation, praised the prime minister’s focus on apprenticeships.
Its research director, Rebecca Montacute, added,
“It will take a great deal of work to ensure there are enough high-quality apprenticeship opportunities available to meet this target – and vitally, they must ensure those opportunities are available to those from a range of backgrounds, and not just those from better-off families.”
How far has the UK moved from Tony Blair’s 50% university target?
Tony Blair, as prime minister in 1999, announced a goal for half of young adults to pursue higher education by the 21st century.
Official figures reveal that 36.4% of UK 18-year-olds attended university in 2024, down from 38.2% in 2021.
Key facts about the higher education students in the UK
During the 2022/23 academic year, 2.92 million students were enrolled in UK higher education. There were 1.67 million female and 1.25 million male students. This means there are three women for every two men.
The female majority was even more pronounced in postgraduate studies. Female enrolments for research programs reached 64,370, compared to 58,270 for males.