General Chat

Here's an interesting snippet ( well I think it is lol)

•One in ten 16- to 18-year-olds is not in education, employment or training. This is around 200-300,000 16- to 18-year-olds at any point in time (the precise number varies according to the time of year). The proportion is similar to decade ago.

•The proportion of 16- to 19-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training is higher in the North East of England and in Scotland than elsewhere.

•Among 16- to 18-year-olds, more girls than boys are in full-time education: in 2010, 73% compared to 68%. This difference is then reflected in the lower proportion of girls than boys in some form of training: 11% compared with 16%. The proportions who are not in education, employment or training are similar.

•The proportion of White 16-year-olds who do not continue in full time education is much higher than that for any ethnic minority, but many are undertaking some form of training.

http://www.poverty.org.uk/32/index.shtml

I do believe there was a YOPS scheme after the YTS. I was one of those parents who made her daughter work. She had a college qualificiation but as there was no work in her field available, she was expected to work on anything that was on offer. She had to travel 17 miles into work and pay her Poll Tax. However, she did resent it especially as she was working for a company who was doing well at the time and could have employed someone.

The new system Hayley described sounds good but only if there are enough places and opportunities for work experience and of course the will to keep going with hopefully the encouragement of a parent/s.

I do hope we can set today's youngsters on the right path for the future

Vera

I'm looking at this myself at the moment as D is 16 this year, from June next year when he would 'officially' leave school...if he is not in college or work everything goes lol.

Muffy
"
Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is a benefit open to most people over the age of 18 who are unemployed, not in education and looking for work. You could also be eligible if you have a job where you work less than 16 hours every week.

If you're under 18, or if you're a student, it's unlikely you will be entitled to the allowance.

If you're 16 or 17, you will only be able to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance in exceptional circumstances. For example, estrangement from your family leading to severe hardship."

Basically 16 to 18 years olds have to be in work or education. There are certain circumstances where parents can continue to get Child tax credits...

Child Tax Credit helps to support
• a child until 1 September after their 16th birthday
• a young person aged from 16 but under 20 years old in full-time education or unwaged training, up to and including ‘A’ levels, NVQ level 3 or Scottish Highers or approved, unwaged training
• a young person aged 16 or 17 who
o has left full-time non advanced education or training but does not have a job or a training place and has registered with the Careers Service or Connexions Service (Training and Employment Agency in Northern Ireland)
o is not claiming Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or tax credits in his or her own right
o is not in full-time work of 24 hours or more a week. "

Exactly Det, though I have to say, as much as I brought it up, the realities of unemployment for older people is a very different and entirely new debate. Care to open that one up? :-D

Ok..I think i've confused myself lol

When we're talking youth unemployment..specifically school leavers..if they don't get paid for the placements.do they still get dole money?

Sorry...don't know all the up to date terms for all this....I'm old school who still calls HR = personnel lol x

Yes, I think its called "Smash and Grab " now. :-S.**M**.

You've touched on the unemployment figures in relation to the older person.

How many older people with savings have decided to live off their nest egg until they can claim a pension? What jobs are available in their fields are offered to younger people (understandably) but as they know they aren't going to get any help from the State, they no longer bother to sign on.

But to the point - there is a swing to unpaid internships, which are fine if they have another source of financial support, but not a lot of good if they need to contribute to the family finances/support themselves.

I'd say in these days of high long-term unemployment the figures would be starkly different. It's not just young people who are unemployed and lose hope, there are older people too, who are sidelined. These people are also subject to work placement etc.

There are lots of schemes and initiatives out there to help the unemployed get back to work, but the amount of jobs out there compared to the number of unemployed is far less.

Yes people say there are jobs out there, but if someone who has skills and experience in say retail hospitality is expected to go for an IT specialist job where being turned down is inevitable, it is just a waste of time for both the unemployed person and the company offering the job for which they have neither the skillset or the experience and qualifications.

I can look at any job site, but let's just say for argument's sake, the directgov job site, and I can find 6 or 7 jobs in my area, that I could apply for because my CV fits the bill, and another 200 jobs which I couldn't apply for, for various reasons. I don't drive, I dont' have a degree, I dont' have the relevant qualifications, skills, experience. Let's not forget, there may be as many as 20,000 or more unemployed in that area too. Politicians bleat about 1 job to 5 unemployed, but that is not a realistic figure. Look on the reed.co.uk site, and look how many applicants are going for their advertised jobs. In this area 80 people after one job, only one person will get it, probably only 10 or 15 will get to interview stage, and the remaining 65 will hear nothing, not even a 'thanks but no thanks' letter. In all, 79 facing the disheartening experience of being turned down, probably for the umpteenth time that week.

So yes, the jobs are out there in numbers, but that doesn't match the numbers who could actually do those jobs.

I think it would be a good idea, albeit a lot will have to be invested, in developing basic training programmes relevant to the area and needs within. ie, Norwich is a financial centre, more financial jobs than anything else, so lets get some basic training put through for long term unemployed to enable them to stand a chance of getting the jobs that are available. Widen the choice if you like. It doesn't have to be the full training course, just a basic training that widens the scope, for employers as well as potential employees.

My Grandson is waiting for a years placement on an advertising magazine,but he won't get a wage.Muffy........I should add that the three years he was a student he also worked partime....

It would certainly be useful to see the figures TW I agree re places available versus demand for the placements. From what I've seen on the TV in the last few days I VERY much doubt that the looters interviewed would touch a low paid placement with a barge pole...but there are most certainly those that would jump at the chance...I wonder what the short fall actually is? x

Trouble is, whatever is done to help youngsters, it's going to take an enormous amount of investment. It's already been made more than clear that is just not going to happen.

Plus, if you have say 100 YTS or equivalent placements in a given area, let's say for argument's sake, Tottenham, but you have 750 jobless school leavers, what happens to the other 650? (figures plucked from thin air as no access to actual figures, just making my point)

It's one answer, but it's not THE answer.

There are also work placement schemes for long-term unemployed, I attended one myself, usually for a month, NOn-attendance means sanctions on JSA. Many find it insulting that they are doing a full time job for the pittance you get on basic JSA. But, it also goes on your CV to show you are willing to work in spite of a long gap. Convincing employers is another matter though, they don't view that as willingness.

Long term unemployed also qualify to offer work trials for two to three weeks, so employers can take them on a trial basis for free, while they are still in receipt of JSA, then take them on permanently if they are happy with them. I've not known a company to accept this yet, but it's there.

Maybe, as much as we need the kids to sit up and take notice, we also need to make those who COULD give them a chance to do so.

More apprenticeships is the way forward imho.

*again awaits the rotten tomatoes*...there's been too much emphasis on university education in recent years and not enough on traditional *trades*. So many seem to feel that earning a small wage whilst training is beneath them...

If i had my time again i'd be a plumber !!! lol x

i think any training scheme is a good thing
but feel some schemes
are designed just to put the unempolyment figures down

I used to run the YTS at RAF Henlow in the 80s. We had no problem getting people on our scheme. Several cooks were trained and when we had a vacancy they were the first applicants we took on. Same with other skills.

l think The ATC is still in exsistance (sp), but probably not quite the same as Youth Training and you don't get paid....
....... anything like that should be made compulsory whether they like it or not!!!! would do them the world of good:o)) ;-)

Absolutely George...as I said in my first post there were many in my year who refused the opportunity as they said they weren't prepared to be paid *slave wages*...but, like Hayley I really had no choice...my parents wouldn't allow me not to work if there was a form of work available.

Thanks for the explanations Hayley....pretty similar then to how it was in *our day* lol x

Hello I was a YTS gel myself although I hated it at the time the basic skils of book keeping customer service and so on have been valueable through my working life, like you Muffy it was work or sling your hook I had actually worked full time with a full time income before I started mine, back then you refused you didnt sign on, now adays its slightly different, there is connextions if a school leavers doesnt go on to FTE or find a job they have to sign on there if under 19yrs, they are paid £30.00 a week but have to attend training courses 4 times a week, if they got poor results in their GCSE heres the chance to sit them again they also teach them how to fill a CV and how to conduct themselves in a assessment ( back in our days they were called interviews) they also find them placements in the area of industry they are interested in working, also aperticeships, if they do work they will receive £45.00 a week to help with travel cost if any , parents of these can also continue to claim CTC and child ben for 6mths, so really there is no excuse for a yuff to be sat about complaining there is nothing out there only if they try getting off their backsides and looking.

You can as many youth training schemes as you want, but the youngsters have got to want to go to them.

I think many don't want to work.

George

To the Youth Training Schemes of the 80s?

A lot of us who left school in *coughs* 1986 enrolled onto them as there were very few jobs around at the time...we got paid peanuts ..and a lot of school leavers refused to do it for that reason..but i was told by my parents...Job,YTS or 6th form...but not working is NOT an option regardless of what you're paid.

It got me into the habit of work and was the stepping stone for furthering myself into better paid jobs a few years on.

Just wondered if they still existed in some form or another these days?