There’s a ‘pointless’ plan to prepare 4-year-olds for the world of work in schools

A new report wants to see primary school children taught about the world of work earlier (Picture: Getty Images) Children in England should be introduced to the world of work from as young as four, a former minister has said. Ex-Labour MP for Darlington, Alan Milburn, said that the primary school curriculum should include talks from professionals about different careers, as well as taster sessions. The hope would be to ‘broaden horizons’ for young people. He also believes some form of work experience should be compulsory for those aged between 14 and 16. Milburn’s ideas come as part of a report into young people and work commissioned by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The interim report finds that in the UK, almost one million people aged between 16 and 24 are out of education, work, or some form of training that’ll eventually help them into a career. But should we really be forcing the idea of the workplace onto children as soon as they start primary school? What about kids who just want to be kids? (Picture: Getty Images) A cog in a capitalist system Arguably, the proposals turn young children who should be focusing on learning for the joy of learning into cogs in a capitalist system. Children are already operating under increasing levels of stress at school, when really, all they should have to worry about is what game they’re going to play at lunchtime, or who they’re going to invite to their birthday party. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. One 2026 study from the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group found nearly one in five children of primary school age are now experiencing a ‘probable’ mental health disorder. Let children be children, some experts say (Picture: Getty Images) The situation couldn’t be more different from Finland, where the focus is not necessarily on spending hours in the classroom. Inside their daycare centres, called the ‘Franzenia,’ children are taught to focus on creative play, rather than things like maths, reading or writing. The same principle is apparent in elements of UK education, too, as Steiner schools, developed in Germany but present in 1,200 institutions all over the world, focus on developing the ‘whole child.’ Instead of traditional academia, the emphasis is on the ‘head, heart and hands.’ Debbie Keenan, a BACP-accredited therapist, believes children are already measured from an early age, and we need to take care not to ‘turn aspiration into pressure’. She tells Metro: ‘We need to consider the psychological impact of a childhood where children can feel they are constantly being assessed. ‘They need opportunities to play, explore, develop relationships, be curious, make mistakes and discover who they are. ‘Children don’t need to spend their childhood preparing to be adults.’ ‘Work builds self-esteem, pride and enthusiasm’ Milburn is also in favour of compulsory work experience for teens (Picture: Getty Images) Not everyone takes this stance, though. Dr Claire Handby, an executive coach and career progression expert, thinks it’s a good plan. ‘Bringing them into working world environments young makes them understand that money is earned through our carers/parents working and not handouts,’ she tells Metro. ‘We take our children to the gym and to shops, so why not to work? It builds self-esteem, pride and enthusiasm for their bright future ahead.’ When Claire was little, her parents did the same with her, as her dad guided her around the fire station on more than one occasion. She’s also paid this mentality forward to her own children, showing them what she does while they’re usually at school. Should children be prepared for work in primary school No, let them be kids.Check She adds: ‘I worked on the construction of the O2 Arena back in 1998, and one of the things we did for local school children was to make it out of a sheet of paper, with 12 straws for the bright yellow steel columns. ‘I’m convinced we inspired a few four to 11-year-olds into construction by those site visits. They loved it, and so did we.’ What do workers think? On social media, the consensus has been mixed. Commenting on UK unemployment, one person argued: ‘This is coming from a misunderstanding that the neet problem is an education issue rather than an employment problem. We have a well educated population but not enough jobs.’Another added: ‘Just from a purely practical point of view it’s pointless as anything an employer can tell them will be horrendously out of date by the time they enter the world of work, the bloke that came to do the talk would probably be retired by then for a start and odds are good that his company ceases to exist by then as well.’ But some wished they’d had more guidance about careers during their school years.‘Personally, I had no idea what I wanted to do growing up. I lived a sheltered life as a child, growing up in a poor area and attending my local comprehensive school, so I didn’t have much exposure to the different types of professions that were available,’ one said. ‘I think if I had been more mindful of the different career options available to me, I would have been more likely to aim towards a particular career, rather than employment simply being circumstantial.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? 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