Milburn Urges Career Education for Primary Pupils as Neet Figures Near One Million

Children as young as four could soon find themselves learning about the world of work, under proposals from a major government-commissioned review into youth unemployment and inactivity in the UK.

Alan Milburn, the former minister who authored the report, believes the seeds of disengagement from education and employment are often sown long before teenagers reach the age when careers advice traditionally begins. His answer is to start the conversation at the very beginning of a child's school life, weaving awareness of different jobs and professions into the primary curriculum.

Speaking to the BBC, Milburn argued that the primary school years should be about expanding what children believe is achievable. He described the goal as opening young pupils' eyes and giving them a sense of what might be possible for them later in life, rather than preparing them for a specific job.

The backdrop to his recommendations is stark. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, approximately 981,000 people aged between 16 and 24 across the UK were not in education, employment or training — a group commonly referred to as Neet — during the period between April and June 2026. That figure represents a substantial share of the country's young population and has fuelled concern among policymakers about how effectively schools prepare students for the transition into working life.

Milburn's central argument is that for many young people who eventually become Neet, the journey towards disengagement begins well before their sixteenth birthday. While successive governments have focused resources on apprenticeships and work experience for pupils in Years 10 and 11, he contends that this intervention comes too late for those who have already checked out of the system mentally and emotionally. By then, patterns of low aspiration and limited exposure to professional role models may be deeply entrenched.

To address this, Milburn proposes that employers should be invited directly into primary schools to give talks and run taster sessions for young children. He suggested that businesses could explain what they do and show pupils the range of opportunities that exist, making the connection between classroom learning and future careers tangible and exciting from an early age.

For older pupils, specifically those in Key Stage 4 aged between 14 and 16, Milburn goes further by calling for work experience in a real workplace setting to be made mandatory, complete with feedback from the employer. He told the BBC that making such placements compulsory would make a significant difference to young people's readiness for employment.

He also highlighted a persistent inequality in how work experience is currently arranged. Around four in ten young people aged 14 to 16, he said, receive no work experience at all. In other cases, students are simply told to find their own placements, a task that often depends on family connections — the networks of parents and relatives — rather than any systematic support. This, he argues, entrenches disadvantage for those without such connections.

The final instalment of Milburn's government-commissioned review, which examines the issue across all four nations of the UK, is due to be published in the autumn. However, because education is a devolved matter, any recommendations affecting schools in England would apply only there. Scotland and Wales already require career-based learning in schools for children as young as three, placing England behind its neighbours in this respect.

At present, careers guidance in England is compulsory for students aged 11 to 18, but work experience is not a statutory requirement. The government has previously stated its ambition to guarantee two weeks' worth of work experience for every young person in England, though delivery of that pledge remains a work in progress.

The proposals have drawn a mixed response. Teaching unions have reacted positively to the underlying idea of introducing career-based learning earlier, but they caution that primary schools are already under considerable strain. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, warned of the significant pressure already facing primary schools and stressed that any new mandatory requirements must be accompanied by clarity about what would have to be dropped to accommodate them.

Whiteman also pointed to existing programmes such as Primary Futures, which brings volunteers from various professions into schools to challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations. He said the earlier young people can begin to connect what they learn in the classroom with the possibilities ahead of them, the better — suggesting the sector is not opposed in principle, but needs practical support.

Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, emphasised that bringing visitors into the classroom can genuinely enlighten children's motivation and instil a sense of passion for opportunities beyond school. He acknowledged, however, that sourcing such opportunities could prove more difficult in rural areas, where access to a diverse range of employers is more limited.

Parents themselves appear divided. Emma, a grandmother from Kirklees with grandchildren in Years 1, 2 and 4, told the BBC that primary school is too young for careers talks. She argued that there is already too much pressure on little children to grow up quickly and that they should be allowed simply to be children, even while acknowledging that the world is changing.

Another parent, Zoe, took the opposite view, saying she thinks it is a good idea. Since everyone will eventually have to work, she reasoned, learning about it early means children will not have to pick it up later when the stakes are higher.

The debate ultimately touches on a fundamental question about the purpose of primary education: whether it should focus narrowly on foundational academic skills or also serve as a launchpad for aspirations and future economic participation. Milburn's answer is clear — that waiting until secondary school to introduce the world of work is a luxury the UK can no longer afford, particularly with nearly a million young people neither earning nor learning.