Andy Burnham has pledged to end Britain’s decades-long preference for university over vocational training, unveiling the biggest overhaul of the schools system in 15 years.

From age 14, students will be offered technical routes alongside traditional academic subjects, as the prime minister argues it is time to value “the hard hat” as much as “the graduation cap”.

The plan marks a sharp break from the target, championed by Tony Blair, of sending half of school leavers to university – and it has reignited a debate among Independent readers: is Britain’s fixation on degrees holding back a generation of would-be tradespeople, or does downgrading the academic path risk narrowing opportunity for those who need it most?

Many welcomed the shift, sharing their own or their children’s apprenticeship stories and arguing that university has been oversold for too long.

But they also sounded a note of caution, warning that a child’s access to good technical training could end up depending on where they happen to grow up rather than what they’re capable of – a postcode lottery in all but name, unless it's properly funded and rolled out evenly.

Here’s what you had to say:

The German model shows what parity really looks like

This idea mirrors the German system, which separates children at eleven into academic and technical education, in a country where technical achievements are as highly regarded as academic ones. The emphasis on academic study has held this country back for generations, and we are desperately short of skilled workers.

University has been the be-all and end-all

A very positive move. The trick is that the right jobs are available for the right people. Technical trades are a great opportunity for young people who show aptitude in that area. For too long university has been the be-all and end-all. It does not suit everyone, and a big debt can come with it. I know many tradespeople who are very capable, and some of them earn extremely well!

Never met a poor sparkie or plumber

Good decision. We need more tradespeople. I’ve never met a poor sparkie or plumber. Just need to restart the old technical colleges, as they have suffered under educational cuts in recent years. Degrees in ancient art and the like are no good to anybody and are pretty pointless.

A young person can be put on a pathway too early

It is positive that this problem is being addressed. I have concerns that a young person is put into a set pathway too early. It is important as a society that we encourage each child in their personal development, and that opportunities are open for ongoing development.

My life changed forever when I went to grammar school

A pity he doesn’t have the nerve to turn the clock back and reintroduce grammar schools for the appropriate pupils, alongside secondary moderns teaching the very skills he’s advocating now. I grew up in poverty, but passed the 11+ and my life changed forever when I went to grammar school.

Asking for an apprenticeship

My grandson was on track to go to university, but he always wanted to work with trucks. He found a local company, rang them up himself and asked for an apprenticeship. The owner knew him and said take him on straight away. His careers tutor was stunned. He’s now in his third year, and he’ll come out a fully trained mechanic doing exactly what he always wanted to do.

Follow the subject you like, not just the salary

As a retired teacher of English, I would advise students to follow their instincts. They should follow the subject they like and are good at, not the one that promises the fantastic salary. The latter is one reason so many drop out of university and end up dependent on welfare. Having a vocational option at an early age, and a work experience programme, would make a world of difference to so many young people.

Education and training are not the same thing

Knowledge of the classics is education. Knowledge of welding requires training. Education and training are not the same. As one of your correspondents points out, pupils should choose their desired path – but to do so they need education across a range of subjects, not least an appreciation of how they all interrelate.

We steered our sons into apprenticeships instead

Even back in the ’70s they were pushing the elite degree route. My friend and I refused – he joined a bank, I went into insurance and sales. I always regretted not gaining an apprenticeship, which many of my friends did. When our sons reached 16, the big uni promo was underway, so I worked to get them into craft apprenticeships instead – one in electro-mechanical servicing for Caterpillar, the other as a flexo-printer. We look back on this as a great strategic decision; most parents were deluded by the degree/uni propaganda.

The disappearance of technical colleges

There used to be a three-tier system – grammar schools, technical schools and secondary moderns – and it was all free. The 11+ exam was probably too early, as development varies enormously at that age, but the disappearance of technical colleges marked the beginning of the loss of skilled trades.

We need people who can fix things

If he can actually get this done, his government will transform this country for the better. University is not for everyone, and the country doesn’t need another wave of media studies, marketing or HR graduates. We need a lot more people with practical skills – people who can build and fix things that aren’t websites, and who take pride in doing so.

Vocational subjects have been dropped from the curriculum

Most schools have pretty much dropped vocational subjects from the curriculum. School has become somewhere you chase grades for subjects you’re not interested in, because the only way out is ‘uni’. Many now go to ‘uni’ to incur massive debt and waste three years on something that isn’t particularly job-related, delaying the training they actually need. Burnham’s got it right if he can get young people into companies earlier so they can decide if it’s right for them. However, it shouldn’t result in only rich kids going to university.

Just don’t derail my kids’ path to Oxford

This generally sounds positive, but despite being at a school in a rough area, both my kids are doing very well in academic subjects and are aiming for Oxford or somewhere similar. So as long as this doesn’t adversely affect their current path, I’m all for it.

A postcode lottery in disguise

Burnham is calling the comprehensive model a failure, demanding a return to dividing kids into ‘academic’ and ‘non-academic’ pathways from age 12 – turns out the old ‘pass the 11+ and go to grammar school’ model was the best one after all, at least according to Burnham. Focusing on skills in demand by local employers fits his ‘localism’ agenda, but is he prepared to live with the postcode lottery in outcomes that results? Grow up in Cambridge and you’ll learn coding; grow up in Scunthorpe and you’ll learn how to gut and pack chickens.

It can’t work without financial backing for employers

Great in theory, but unless employers are financially encouraged to take on apprentices, and paid to have youngsters on work experience, it can’t work. There’s often no backup from technical colleges to help even qualified young people find work – and unless they can find work, this pushes them onto benefits and challenges their mental health. There needs to be coordinated, joined-up thinking. Financially backed.

Britain is short of skilled workers in every trade

There are shortages in almost every skilled worker area – 100,000 electricians, 70,000 plumbers, 20,000 car mechanics, 140,000 in construction, 60,000 in agriculture, and more. The government has committed to reducing visas issued, and the public no longer accepts that hiring from overseas is acceptable. So Burnham has a point – but unless he acts fast, Britain will really break.

Why not make education modular instead?

The obvious answer is one no one seems to mention: make education modular. I used to enjoy English Literature and Physics, but there was no way to study both, so I ended up doing Philosophy – roughly half-way between the two. Just add technical skills into the curriculum as modules: French, Plumbing and History of Art, or Electronics, Philosophy and Cooking. A technical module could give you a City & Guilds qualification, an academic one a degree. I can’t see why I shouldn’t be able to do Carpentry, Economics and Surgery. After all, they’re all about cutting things up…

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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