A 20/20 vision

As such, political and business leaders deserve credit for taking the initiative and applying for £15m of Whitehall funding to ensure that today’s pupils can maximise the opportunities which will arise when the economy picks up.

Two points need to be made. First it is naive to assume that manufacturing will continue to be the backbone of the West Yorkshire economy; many new jobs will be linked to emerging sectors such as green energy, commerce, retail and the hospitality industry. As such, it is vital that schools recognise this change, even more so at a time when careers guidance services are in so much flux.

Second, a closer collaboration between industry and education, with business leaders being urged to have a greater input at under-performing schools, can only help to overcome lingering misgivings about standards – and whether youngsters have skills that are compatible with an evolving regional economy.

To many, the concept of city-regions, the means by which spending powers are being devolved from Whitehall to key locations outside London, is a confusing one. Yet the policy’s importance should not be under-estimated.

The Leeds scheme has the potential to unlock £1bn of transport investment for the region’s neglected roads and rails, while the emphasis on skills must not be under-estimated. The challenge now is securing the necessary funding and ensuring that the ambition behind this bold vision is backed up over the next seven years. If it is, 70,000 young people will have a brighter future thanks to this foresight.