BBC Breakfast ran a report this morning on Nick Clegg's scheme to boost employment for the 1m out-of-work 16 - 24 year olds.
Unfortunately, the two guests they had on the sofa, representing youth unemployment, were not, on the face of it, wholly marketable. I know that may sound disparaging as the young man being interviewed has had learning difficulties, by his own admission, so is at a disadvantage. What I couldn't understand was the angle at which the BBC was trying to approach this story.
There is no doubt that something has to be done to improve the employment prospects in this country for the 16 - 24 year old population. One of the fundamantal issues that needs to be addressed before anything else is the commercial viability of such employees.
No amount of government incentive, or schemes to encourage apprenticeships, means a thing if the individuals who are employed are not educated to a standard that gives them a chance to offer the employer some hope of recouping their investment. The employment, training and ongoing development of any employee is a heavy investment! Any employer will want to see a return on that investment at some stage.
It has got to be remembered that the commercial sector is not a charity, and if any decision is taken to employ someone, there is a cost involved. I applaud any scheme that encourages business to employ young people, and if there is a financial incentive, then even better. BUT, at the end of the day, the employee still has to prove their worth to the employer.
Of the 1m young people who are unemployed, I know that there is a vast percentage who could be extremely commercially viable with the right training, encouragement and opportunity. Business needs to see these people, and they need to be encouraged to give these people a chance. It is a hard fact that business will not want to invest in young people who do not represent value for money or increased productivity, and no scheme will change that point of view.
Concentrate on getting the employable 16 - 24 year olds into work now, and then look at ways to help the more disadvantaged to get the right work placements that will be of benefit to both them and their employers.
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I so agree - we're struggling to find suitable people to fill our vacancies - they need to write clearly and accurately in English, they need to do simple maths (VAT calc, on a calculator!) and they need to be personable.
ReplyDeleteMost are unable to cope with the maths (!!!), many are totally inarticulate and then there is the few who don't even bother to turn up to the interview.
It's totally and utterly demoralising.
THEN we had one walk out, after much training to become a finance administrator (how to use Sage, principles of book keeping etc) - loads of our time waste because she can't cope with a 20 minute commute! The worst of it is that the apprenticeship funding once allocated is "spent" and these kids don't seem to give a damn!
Thankfully we do have 3 good apprentices, but you point out, we're not a charity and the stress of spending SO MUCH of my time investing in people who might just walk out, don't seem to care etc does make you wonder if it's worth it!!!
I know the problems only too well, Clare. In simplistic terms, the education system lets far too many young people down, and they get churned out totally ill-prepared for any kind of employment. The business community is then expected to pick up the pieces, at their own significant expense, with little or no hope of a return.
ReplyDeleteThere are some very good graduates on the market, but many of these people are not adequately prepared for the commercial world. There is no easy answer, but the education system has got to get a grip on what the commercial world expects and needs.
Yes, if education does not match social needs, it will be a great loss for job hunting and companies digital display
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