Britain is in danger of creating “an army of unemployables” as advances in technology drastically cut jobs available to teenagers who have no qualifications, it was claimed yesterday.

A teaching union said that 10-year-olds should study motorcycle maintenance and other practical skills that would improve their job prospects.

Mick Brookes, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, called for radical changes to primary education to allow young children to develop “fledgeling” specialisms.

Instead of spending months preparing for national curriculum tests, pupils in the last year of primary school could use their time more profitably by learning about different trades.

A survey of 17,000 final-year university students — published today by the market research company High Flyers — indicates that those studying arts and humanities have lower career expectations and are less likely to seek a job actively than those doing vocational courses.

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