Youth unemployment is a major cause for concern in the UK. Will the future for youngsters include poor education and having to sign up for Job Seeker’s Allowance? With youth unemployment hovering just below 1 million, many people believe it’s time for the government to take action to get youths off the Job Seeker’s Allowance and into employment.
Unemployable youths or lack of information?
Statistics show that young people (16-24) are two and a half times more likely to be unemployed than those over 25. A survey conducted by the CBI discovered that more than two thirds of employers questioned were dissatisfied with their young employee’s employability skills. The employers said the youths had “poor time management” and “lacked customer awareness”. Some people believe it’s the youths of our generation at fault whereas others believe schools aren’t doing enough to teach them value employability skills.
Leaving school – what then?
If school leavers don’t continue with further education, options can be limited in terms of employment. The low wages for 16-18 year olds aren’t exactly enticing and with little to no luck job hunting it can be a frustrating process and many end up giving up. For those who don’t achieve decent grades at school it can be tough finding a path on the career front. Currently, fewer than half of school leavers achieve grades that will help them in life; reducing their chances of continuing onto further education and leaving them with no option other than to seek employment with few skills to offer.
Apprenticeships to save the day?
Apprenticeships are training schemes in which a person with no or little experience in an industry can receive on-the-job training to gain experience within a certain role. NVQ’s are often obtained at the end of an apprenticeship and there is a possibility that the company will take on the apprentice as a full-time member of staff.
Agencies which specialise in employing apprentices tend to use online recruitment to select the best candidates and put them forward for the employer to interview. Entry levels for apprenticeships vary.
Some employers ask for certain grades at GCSE level whereas others require particular personal skills. This gives school leavers with no qualifications a chance as well as those who obtained decent GCSE grades. The government have recognised how important apprenticeships are in regards to tackling youth employment and have stated they are to invest £180m over the next four years in new apprenticeships. This should put the government on track to provide 250 000 apprentice positions by 2015.
Some young people believe there should be more choice other than apprenticeships, which is why Uni-tech colleges are useful places to learn. Uni-tech colleges provide vocational courses for 14-19 year olds in technical skills such as engineering and construction. The government have stated there will be at least 24 new uni-tech colleges by 2014. The government have also proposed to increase the work experience scheme by 80 000 positions over the next four years.
With the rise of University tuition fees, many young people find they are uncertain how to begin a career. The funding for apprenticeships and work experience programmes will significantly help those who want a career but don’t want to continue onto further or higher education.
