Labour Conference 2011: Burnham proposes Ucas-style system for apprenticeships

In his speech to delegates at the Labour conference today (28 September), Burnham also criticised Education Secretary Michael Gove over the fast-growing number of academy schools and the introduction of the English baccalaureate, accusing him of being "stuck in the past".

Burnham said it is now harder for young people to get a start in life because, as traditional industries have declined, so too have the "ladders-up" they once provided. They now face "agonising choices" because of decisions made by the coalition government, he added.

"Before the election, David Cameron looked young people in the eye. He said he'd keep the education maintenance allowance. What kind of man does that, leaving thousands of young souls cut adrift? Cameron the Conman, that's who."

Burnham said it is time to focus on opportunities for the 50 per cent or more of children who don't plan to go to university.

"Young people who want to head towards work or an apprenticeship are left to fend for themselves," he said.

"At 13, 14, 15, too many children lose their way because they can't see where school is taking them. That's wrong and I want to put it right."

He pledged to look at a national "Ucas-style" system for apprenticeships, with the aim of giving all children hope and a goal in life.

His criticism of Gove centred on his assertion that the English baccalaureate is not flexible enough and that academies and free schools threaten the comprehensive system.

He said a modern baccalaureate, drawing on the example of the Welsh and international baccalaureates, should be introduced as an alternative to Gove's "backward-looking vision".

"He is stuck in the past and obsessed with structural changes," Burnham said. "He throws money at his favoured schools – free schools and academies – and treats the rest as if they don't matter.

"A man with a plan for some schools and some children, not all schools and all children."