The UK's new prime minister, Andy Burnham, is determined to overhaul Britain's education system. Mr Burnham, 56, came to power on July the 16th. One of his priorities is to increase access to technical training for youngsters. He wants children as young as 14 to acquire the skills they need for the workplace. This is to address the problem of youth unemployment. Britain has more than one million young people not in education, employment or training. Mr Burnham said: "Fixing the youth unemployment crisis in Britain will require a major shake-up in how we do things."

Mr Burnham's aim is to change traditional views on white- and blue-collar work. He wants young people to believe that a career as a carpenter is just as valuable as working as a lawyer. He wants academic and technical skills to be equally valued. He said: "From today, Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap." He added: "For too long, students have been told that they must take the academic path to do well and to be respected. The whole school system has been built around it, and that has let down young people."