Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn argues that a future centered on long-term benefits is not what the UK should offer younger generations. In his commentary, he says children are not leaving school prepared for work and that this gap has become accepted as normal rather than addressed. Milburn presents the issue as a broader challenge affecting how the education-to-employment pathway operates, implying that current systems fail to equip young people with the skills and readiness needed for employment. He also suggests that the public has been “conned” into overlooking the problem, framing his message as a call for reform rather than simply criticism. The piece emphasizes the need to improve preparation for work, particularly during the period when young people move from education into employment. Overall, it focuses on policy direction and priorities aimed at enabling better employment outcomes for future generations, while stressing that an overreliance on benefits should not be treated as an acceptable end point.