The UK has a new prime minister, Andy Burnham. One of his priorities is to increase access to technical training for children. He wants them to acquire the skills they need for the workplace. This is to reverse 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 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 children to believe that a job as a carpenter is just as valuable as working as a lawyer. He said: "Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap." He added: "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."