Andy Burnham is right: for too long, Britain has treated university as the only clear route to success when that has never matched the reality of young people’s lives, or the needs of employers.

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I know this from experience. I grew up in Cardiff in a family of actors, dancers and musicians and had a place to study drama at university - until a careers adviser suggested an accountancy apprenticeship instead and opened a door I hadn’t even known was there.

I qualified through the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) – a UK awarding and assessment organisation and professional membership body helping people from all backgrounds build careers in finance. By 23, I'd gone on to co-found Mazuma with £100 – today a multi-million-pound accounting software business supporting SMEs across the UK.

Last year, in a full circle moment, I was elected AAT’s youngest-ever president. In the conversations I’ve had with AAT students, I’ve been reminded that my story - of not really understanding the career pathways available to me, of almost taking the wrong route – is still all too common.

Burnham’s decision to focus on closing the gap between the classroom and the workplace is therefore a welcoming starting point. His argument that technical education should be treated as........

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