Jobless youth lack Brit grit

[Mister M]

It's not only Hurd that recognises the problem, it's something that has been picked up by employers in general according to the link.

 

For the last 30 years (or more) employers have become much more involved with secondary education leading to many more initiatives being put in place (such as YOP, NVQs etc).

 

Whilst some of these schemes are welcome, I wonder whether it is fair to dump all the blame on the young people rather than looking at the changing role of employment patterns, and the sheer pace of change, and the lack of adequate responses from central government.

[Event Horizo]

 

We need a return to the bulldog spirit that won us WW2. We didn't need no welfare state then. Everyone pulled their weight and we were a truly great nation.

 

We only won the Battle of Britain but alot of this was due to Hitler's obsession with the eastern front thus pulling the luftwaffe away from Europe. And we only had a minor contribution to the outcome of ww2. Russia and the USA turned the tide.

[Mister M]

I guess it depends if the young person has any grit. If I was a young unemployed person, I wouldn't be wasting my time worrying about what everybody else has or hasn't got. We all get dealt our cards and that's all we have to play. So instead of whining that everyone else has better cards, just start playing. But the whiners refuse to play, they'd rather throw the board up in the air. Because it's easier to moan and get paid for doing nothing than god forbid make an effort.

 

What about the huge numbers of young people that look after their parents, often sacrificing their own aspirations, without so much of a complaint.

 

Its all very well to come on here and **** on them, criticising them at every turn, without acknowledging the very real contribution that tens (and hundreds) of thousands of our young people make.

 

Give them some credit as well!

[Arrr Sez I]

They've inherited a difficult world to grow up in. We should be doing all we can to ease them into it with a bit of understanding and nurturing instead of expecting them to emerge fully formed to face the world..

 

That's the last thing they need. Life is ridiculously competitive. Only the strong survive. That's the reality. You can't wait until you're 18 to be eased into the world. If you're not ready all guns blazing by 16 you're going to be in big trouble. That's one good thing about America, at an early age they know how important it is to do better than the kid next to them. Our schooling is far too prissy.

[Daid]

Not sure they lack grit, but do think they lack confidence, which isn't surprising considering they are constantly being criticised and having the stuffing knocked out of them.

 

They've inherited a difficult world to grow up in. We should be doing all we can to ease them into it with a bit of understanding and nurturing instead of expecting them to emerge fully formed to face the world.

 

We had to learn, and so do they.

 

Exactly but it's reported that many have no ambition to learn or work their way up, they want high wages from the offset. I don't know about you but I expected to get the crap jobs to start with. I got on with it, that's how I learned.

[Arrr Sez I]

What about the huge numbers of young people that look after their parents, often sacrificing their own aspirations, without so much of a complaint.

 

Its all very well to come on here and **** on them, criticising them at every turn, without acknowledging the very real contribution that tens (and hundreds) of thousands of our young people make.

 

Give them some credit as well!

 

"Huge" numbers of young people looking after their parents, sacrificing their own aspirations? How many young kids are leaving school at 16 and doing nothing but looking after ill parents? Come on, hows that not an excuse.

[Anna B]

You both have a point. But easing them in doesn't mean being soft, just using encouragement rather than constant criticism.

[Daid]

For the last 30 years (or more) employers have become much more involved with secondary education leading to many more initiatives being put in place (such as YOP, NVQs etc).

 

Whilst some of these schemes are welcome, I wonder whether it is fair to dump all the blame on the young people rather than looking at the changing role of employment patterns, and the sheer pace of change, and the lack of adequate responses from central government.

 

I'm not so sure all the blame is getting heaped on the young. Schools and parents have a long finger pointing at them also.

 

---------- Post added 22-08-2013 at 16:23 ----------

 

You both have a point. But easing them in doesn't mean being soft, just using encouragement rather than constant criticism.

 

Life is about both but i'll agree that kids take it to heart a lot more, even so the encouragement should come from sources closer to home and from the schools, these are the sources that matter.

Will many kids even bother with media reports?

[davyboy]

Much depends on the encouragement kids get at home AND school.

My g/daughter went from a school where her main teacher took the p because she spoke properly and had come from a private school which had closed, and as a result made her life a misery.

When she arrived at her present school she was shy and demotivated.

The school turned her around and today she's just got 3 Cs and 3Bs in her GCSEs 2 years early and she's full of confidence.

All down to her teachers who deserve medals.

And of course her hard work.

[Ridgeway84]

'Lastly, the welfare system plays its malign part, providing perverse incentives for people to remain jobless because benefits can pay as much as a salary'

 

An 18 year old on JSA receives £56.80 pw.

If an employer is paying someone this much a week, they are paying them £1.62 per hour.

Hardly an incentive to go out to work, especially once weekly travel fares are taken into consideration and food for lunch.

 

What do employers want to do, pay them less?

 

First the Coalition malign those on Benifits, then they malign YOUR children.

Who will they malign next? Anyone, as long as it detracts from the greedy bankers and the Coalitions failed policies.

 

Yawn. Leftie dogma alert.