Co-operatives UK joins Prime Minister's first business talks as movement sets out offer for good growth
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Co-operatives UK joined Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first meeting with business representative organisations, as leaders from across the co-operative movement set out how co-operatives can help deliver good growth, secure the essentials, empower communities and support the UK's reindustrialisation.
Co-operatives UK joined Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first meeting with business representative organisations on Friday (24 July), where he outlined a new partnership between government and employers to drive investment, create jobs and deliver good growth across the UK.
The meeting brought together organisations representing businesses of every size and sector, including Co-operatives UK and Social Enterprise UK, to discuss how economic growth can be felt in every community.
The discussion came on the same day that leaders from across the UK's co-operative movement wrote jointly to the Prime Minister, offering to work with government to deliver its programme for good growth.
Our offer to the Prime Minister
In the letter, the movement argues that co-operatives are uniquely placed to contribute to the government's ambitions by:
- Delivering good growth through more productive and resilient businesses
- Securing essentials such as housing, care, food, energy and financial services
- Empowering communities through democratic ownership
- Supporting the UK's reindustrialisation through worker ownership, business co-operation and community investment
The letter also calls on government to build on the progress already made by improving access to business support and finance, modernising co-operative legislation and unlocking opportunities for co-operative growth across key sectors of the economy.
We'll listen, we'll act and we'll give firms the backing they need to reindustrialise Britain. In return, I want businesses to invest in their people, back their communities and help us give every young person a fair chance to find a good job.
Following Friday's meeting, the Prime Minister unveiled a fundamental change to the education system, with the launch of "new prestigious technical educational routes." The new pathways will provide 14-year-olds with valuable early access to technical skills, work experience and connections with local employers.
The Prime Minister is determined to put technical education on an equal footing with the traditional academic path and to ensure there are "no dead ends" for young people coming out of the education system. This means providing high-quality technical education routes that are valued and respected by students, parents and employers.
From age 14 (Year 10), students will have the chance to combine core academic subjects – including English, maths and science – with a high-quality technical education that’s linked to the jobs available in their area. They will be able to spend time with employers and gain real-world experience.
In follow up, we’re convening a ‘Good Business for Good Growth’ forum to bring together organisations committed to creating lasting opportunity. No single organisation can solve these challenges alone. By working co-operatively, bringing together government, employers, education providers and communities, we can create stronger pathways into work and ensure every young person has the opportunity to thrive.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “For too long in this country, students have been told that you must take the academic path to do well and to be respected. The whole school system has been built around it and that has let down young people seeking technical qualifications.
“I want an education system based on parity between academic and technical which gives all young people a clear path in life. From today, Britain will value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap."
The changes will be part of the government’s wider programme of devolution – giving local leaders greater influence over education for 14 to 16-year-olds. The government will now work together with mayors, local leaders, schools, colleges and employers to develop the new technical education pathways ahead of an ambition to begin rolling them out from September 2028.
Key developments:
- Under the Prime Minister’s fundamental changes to the education system, 14-year-olds will be able to get early access to technical education, skills training, work experience and connections with employers
- Prime Minister to say to students: ‘whether you choose construction, coding or classics, you’ll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve’
- Schools, colleges, mayors, local leaders and employers will work together to create clear routes into good, skilled jobs in their area
- Ofsted to change the way they measure and inspect schools, ensuring they recognise the quality of technical education and the support aimed at preparing young people for work
- The changes follow Alan Milburn’s warning that Britain risks leaving behind a “lost generation” with over one million young people now not in education, employment or training
For Co-operatives UK, Friday's meeting and the movement's joint letter reinforce the same message: co-operatives are ready to help government deliver its ambitions, provided the policy environment enables them to thrive.
Alongside Co-operatives UK, other business representative organisations and industry groups, speaking with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, included:
British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Citizens Advice,Confederation of British Industry, Trades Union Congress, Small Business Britain, Make UK, Enterprise Nation, Family Business UK, Institute of Directors, ScaleUp Institute, Startup Coalition.
Letter to the Prime Minister: Co-operatives and good growth
