Milburn Calls for Career Lessons in Primary School and Mandatory Teen Work Experience
Children should begin learning about the world of work as soon as they start primary school, according to Alan Milburn, the former minister leading a major review of youth activity in the UK.
Milburn, whose government-commissioned review is examining why so many young people become NEET—not in education, employment or training—says careers education should start as early as age four. Work experience should also be mandatory for 14- to 16-year-olds, he argues.
The recommendation is likely to intensify debate over how early schools should focus on employment, at a time when youth unemployment remains a political concern. The latest ONS figures show that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were NEET between April and June 2026.
Milburn told the BBC that primary-school careers education should be less about selecting a job and more about widening children’s sense of what is possible. “In primary school, it’s really about opening their eyes and giving them a sense about what is possible,” he said.
He said employers could help by giving talks in primary schools and offering taster sessions, giving pupils early exposure to a range of professions. “It’d be good if employers came into schools and said, ‘Look, this is what’s going on, these are things that are possible,’” he added.
For Key Stage 4 pupils, aged 14 to 16, Milburn wants experience in a real workplace, with feedback from employers. “Work experience needs to be mandatory. It makes a big difference,” he told the BBC.
He pointed to gaps in the current system, noting that about four in 10 people aged 14 to 16 get no work experience at all. In some schools, he said, students are told to find placements themselves, a process that often depends on their mom and dad’s networks.
Although apprenticeships and work experience are promoted in Years 10 and 11, Milburn argues that the path toward becoming NEET can begin well before a young person’s 16th birthday. That is why he wants dedicated space in the curriculum to broaden horizons earlier.
The final installment of Milburn’s review is due to be published in the autumn. Education is devolved across the UK, so while the review covers all four nations, its education recommendations apply specifically to England.
In England, careers guidance is currently required for students aged 11 to 18, but work experience is not statutory. The government has said it wants to “guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person” in England.
Scotland and Wales already require career-based learning in schools for children as young as three. The contrast underscores how far England could move if Milburn’s proposals are adopted—and how much pressure that could place on primary schools already managing crowded curriculums and limited resources.
Teaching unions have responded positively to the idea of earlier career-based learning, but they warn that new mandates must come with support. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said primary schools are already under “significant pressure.”
“Whenever new mandatory requirements are proposed, it is important to be clear about what might have to give way to make room for them,” Whiteman said. He also praised existing programs such as Primary Futures, which brings volunteers from different professions into schools to challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations.
“The earlier young people can begin to make connections between what they learn in school and the possibilities that lie ahead, the better,” Whiteman said.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said visitors to the classroom can “enlighten [children’s] motivation” and give them “that sense of passion for all the opportunities beyond the classroom.” He acknowledged, however, that finding such opportunities in rural areas can be harder.
Parents are divided. Emma, from Kirklees, who has grandchildren in Years 1, 2 and 4, believes primary school is too young for careers talks. “In primary school, there is too much trying to get little kids to grow up too quickly,” she said. “Just let them be little kids. I know they have to learn and the world’s changing, but still, give them a chance to be kids.”
Another parent, Zoe, disagrees. “I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “It’s something that everyone has to do, so if you learn early, it’s something they don’t have to learn later on.”
If adopted, Milburn’s proposals would reshape careers education in England by pushing it into the earliest years of school and making workplace experience a standard part of the teenage curriculum. But the debate is likely to hinge on a familiar question: whether schools can take on another mandatory duty without sacrificing time, funding or other priorities.
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