'Lost generation’: why can’t young people get jobs? What should be done?

Mamie

It is to be hoped that the UK learns from EU initiatives.

Youth Guarantee: A continent-wide policy commitment where Member States ensure all young people under age 30 receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship, or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.

ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve): An active inclusion initiative for highly vulnerable NEETs (ages 18–29) facing barriers like disabilities, long-term unemployment, or migrant backgrounds. It combines tailored domestic training with a supervised, work-related placement in another EU country, followed by intensive reintegration support.European Social Fund+

(ESF+) Social Innovation+: A multi-million euro funding stream dedicated to scaling up innovative and localized methods for upskilling vulnerable youth, particularly focusing on re-engaging them in learning and facilitating labour market reintegration.

Erasmus+ NEETs for NEETs: A co-creative, civil society-led project where former NEETs actively help train the professionals and organizations who support at-risk youth on a daily basis.

Mamie thank you for your link and this EU background information. I agree there is learning opportunity.

These EU initiatives explain one of the reasons why the UK is slipping down the Global and European Neets tables. We are in the bottom half among advanced economies, behind top performers like Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.

Only comparing to European peers the UK has slipped from average to bottom tier. Only a few nations such as Romania score higher levels of Neets.

This hasn't been helped by making older people stay in work so long. By the time they retire they will be too old to enjoy it.

From TerryBull Handed her notice in the job was causing her anxiety, plus a refusal to work Saturdays.

I had one that didn’t turn up for work for the first 3 Saturdays of her first job.
Hung over.
We worked to an appointment system. She had to go.
She was very cross and indignant, she was sick!!

kircubbin2000

This hasn't been helped by making older people stay in work so long. By the time they retire they will be too old to enjoy it.

I read that the retirement age is just about to rise for a new swathe of people.

gransruleok

Back when my girls were young, women stayed at home to raise their family, I’m 80 and I was frequently heard blaming the lack of parental control on working mothers, because when a woman came home from work, she was exhausted, running a home and raising children is hard enough, without having a Job outside the home. Now, women are being forced to work when a lot of them would rather be there for their youngsters. Now the government are wondering why there are no jobs left for school leavers. I can do the math, why can’t they?

Plus older people can not leave work as need the money, as cant get a pension until whatever late age.

Gransruleok
I went back to work when my daughter was 3.I did part time teaching to start with but that soon became full time.She was born in 1963.There were other mums on the staff and in the office.

Interesting article about how Sefton in Merseyside is bucking the trend with NEETs:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6p9yyg64vo

gransruleok

Back when my girls were young, women stayed at home to raise their family, I’m 80 and I was frequently heard blaming the lack of parental control on working mothers, because when a woman came home from work, she was exhausted, running a home and raising children is hard enough, without having a Job outside the home. Now, women are being forced to work when a lot of them would rather be there for their youngsters. Now the government are wondering why there are no jobs left for school leavers. I can do the math, why can’t they?

My Mum went back to work full-time in 1965, when my sister was four. She wasn't the only mother in our road with young children who worked.

I was one of three- Mum did a combination of things she could do at home till the youngest started school- e.g. childminding during the day, home working in the evenings, covering record player boxes with leather, set sum paid per box.

Once the youngest started school, she then got a full time job outside the home. My sister would come home from school with me, I would look after her and get the family tea ready till Mum got home from work- this was primary school age. Not so unusual in working class families. Plus there were housework jobs to do- mess was not tolerated! Mum didn't do everything as it was the family culture that everyone had to contribute. She started working to pay a mortgage when they bought the house we were living in that was owned by my Dad's employer when I was bout 3 years old. They were the first couple in both sides of the family to buy and own a house.

All three of us went to grammar school and she carried on working to pay for uniforms, school trips, music lessons etc etc. Once we all left home she then went part time.

We all three developed a strong work ethic, at a relatively young age- baby sitting for neighbours, Saturday jobs, cleaning neighbour's cars etc.

Same here, LemonJam.

I think it's sometimes forgotten that the vast majority of women throughout history have worked at jobs other than bringing up their families.

It wasn't until the 1950s that women had the luxury of staying at home to bring up their families while their husbands were the bread winners.

We shouldn't be "blaming" women for the shortage of jobs - although I'm sure some politicians (and others) will have a very good try.

My grandmother worked full time, my mother worked full time, I started full time when mine were very young as did my daughter. My granddaughters have inherited a strong work ethic, one already in salaried employment. The second is a medical student, 70% of her year group is female.
Unless we are about to be confined to Gilead, I think women will continue to be essential to the workplace.

I do not believe a Curriculum Vitae is enough to obtain an interview or interest in the job seeker ..

Definitely, a Professionally written cover letter is the key to success.

This opens the door of interest to reading the Curriculum and promotes a connection to the Human Resource Director or Manager who has received the C.V.

Another key point is have the Cover Letter and The C.V. delivered to the company in a classic 8x 11 or 9 x 12 envelope to the director of Human Resources or the advertiser seeking the candidate ..

Photo should be professional and dress should be a suit and tie for men and a suit with a lovely blouse for ladies.

Navy blue or black or a pale fawn beige. Classic and elegant Shirt in white or vanilla.

Stop at the hairdresser and get a wash and blow dry.

I'm from a working class family and women in my family have always worked from the beginning of time. I don't need to defend my families work ethic

My husband is seriously ill and spent most March in hospital. He's back at work.

Work is good for people. I know this isn't what the thread was really about but being in a routine and working is good for you, even if if it just a means to an end

Depends on the job in question!

"It's a ticklish sort of job making a thing for a thing-ummy-bob,
Especially when you don't know what it's for.
But it's the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the ring
That makes the thing-ummy-bob that makes the engines roar.
And it's the girl that makes the thing that holds the oil that oils the ring
That makes the thing-ummy-bob that's going to win the war

Mamie

David49

The real problem has been government policy, sending 50% of students to university then not providing jobs for them, even worse recruiting migrants to do the work because it was cheaper.

There will be no change until a positive change in policy is made to match education to the nations needs

Given the impact of AI and robotics on employment how would you define the "nation's needs" in ten to twenty years time? What changes would you make to education to meet those needs?

In my country of origin, the diploma courses taught at the local polytechnics are the ones which are industry focus based on what the country currently needs.

After O levels, students can study for a diploma in AI, robotics, cybersecurity, nursing, optometry, cosmetic science etc.,

Or we've realised that ignoring worsening mental health doesn't help and only makes things far worse?
My sil has pretty bad anxiety, 30 years ago he'd have been expected to man up by his peers and even his gp would have told him it's part of life. He came close to suicide because he believed he should suck it up and deal with it.

Then we have the pandemic which had a huge detrimental effect on young people's mental health, most of which hasn't been treated in any way beyond pills because mental health services are so poor.

The mental health impact from the pandemic has been huge, with little to no support for anyone. I don't know how anyone thinks that something that had the impact of covid can just go away and not cause problems in the future. Young people have been let down by the education system, while I agree they should be taught history and the like I think some things should take a back seat I think favour of more real life skills. They should be taught budgeting, how to apply for jobs and do interviews, how to get along with other people I think the work place. Basic life skills such as cooking, raising kids, how to live life.
Then they're let down by higher education either by being priced out of it or leaving with no chance of a job.

Then the job market, that's collapsing. AI is already taking jobs along with robots, high streets are rapidly disappearing and everything is online, I no longer have a housing office... Everything is done online. Shops that once employed vast amounts of young people have closed and are now online only. This leads to loss of other jobs like cleaners, security, delivery jobs, warehouse, canteen staff....

The economy isn't doing too well, businesses aren't hiring for various reasons but automation is high up there.

The nhs is failing everyone and long wait times mean people are out of work longer. And when they finally get treated whatever was originally wrong has broken beyond fixing.

The worst thing you can do to anyone, most of all a child is to promise something and then not deliver it, which is what the government and the education system in particular has done.

Over inflating a childs ability has been very harmful allowing access to adult themes and content has also been damaging. Now of course we are trying to restrict that access which should have been done 10+ yrs ago, but the genie is out of the bottle.

westendgirl

Gransruleok
I went back to work when my daughter was 3.I did part time teaching to start with but that soon became full time.She was born in 1963.There were other mums on the staff and in the office.

But perhaps back then, teaching was a good job to have as a mum, because you got the school holidays off with your own family, and I suspect the holidays were more of a proper break, not spent on preparation for the next year and so on?

Not a teacher, so am sure I’ll be corrected if wrong.

My wife was a career nurse that was good because she did as many nights as she could when husband was at home and didnt clash with his work much. As she was earning more than him he couldn't really object.

I enjoyed that quote MissAdventure.
Assuming it's from WW2.

Its a song.

I've seen that kind of attitude recommended for people who work in mundane, seemingly mindless jobs.

However mundane it is helping someone and paying YOUR rent

Calendargirl , I spent time in the holidays, evenings and at weekends on work for school. I think its always been fairly standard and goes with the job.