Starmer pledges to shatter 'class ceiling' of vocational education snobbery

Children’s ability to speak clearly will be given the same status as numerary and literacy under a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer has pledged as he vowed to shatter the “class ceiling” by ending snobbery over the value placed on university degrees. Plan to ‘expand opportunity’ with more vocational training The attack on Britain’s class system will be made as the Labour leader sets out a wider plan to “expand opportunity”, including by making it easier for young people to learn vocational skills, introducing planning reforms to allow more homes to built and “modernising the curriculum” to prepare young people with the “skills and personal qualities needed to thrive in work and life”. “What we are looking for from the next government is significant investment in technical and vocational education and something to show people that snobbery has finished and it really matters to the economy.” Removing any stigma around apprenticeships is also a stated priority of the Government. “The next government needs to put social mobility at the heart of its agenda, not just to ensure all young people have a fair chance to succeed in life, but also to make the most of our talent to drive sustained economic growth.” Research by the University of Exeter has found that a fifth of teenagers do not get basic English and Maths GCSEs, and half of these pupils were judged to be falling behind at age five.