Burnham’s plea to City chiefs: let a young person shadow you at work
Andy Burnham has called on City bosses to let young people shadow them at work as part of a push to tackle the problem of youth unemployment.
Speaking to the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast, the prime minister said that there needs to be more work experience and apprenticeships for young people who don’t have prior connections in the workplace.
The Prime Minister also issued a personal call for people in senior positions to offer work shadowing to young people, particularly those who do not have family networks capable of opening doors for them.
“I would put the call out via this podcast: anybody in a senior position in any walk of life in Britain should offer work shadowing,” Burnham said. “Just let a young person, particularly from a background that might not be connected to yours, just come in and just be in the room.
“They do feel that imposter syndrome, and they think ‘well, I can’t be here.’ But the truth is they can be there once they are in the room. They can see how it works, and confidence can build.”
As Mayor, Burnham offered a young person the chance to shadow him each week, allowing them to stand alongside him throughout the working day rather than being left “opening the post in the corner”.
He also said that he will be looking to change how government contracts are awarded and start putting a greater emphasis on social value.
The calls come as part of a push from the Burnham government to boost growth and cut the welfare bill by getting more young people into the workplace.
The number of young people not in education, employment or training jumped past one million in the first three months of 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics.
When this figure was released in May, former health secretary Alan Milburn warned in a government-commissioned report the figure could climb up to 1.25m within five years and cost the UK economy up to £125bn a year.
Bunrham announced an overhaul of Britain’s education system last week in a bid to better prepare young people for work. Under the changes, vocational training will be given more prominence in the curriculum and secondary schools will be able to tailor courses from year 10 onwards to train people in local industries.