22-05-2012, 05:18 PM
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Youngsters un-employable.
One of the country's biggest companies, the car firm Arnold Clark, has described many young Scots as "unsuitable" for work.The comment came in a submission to the Scottish Parliament ahead of a summit on improving employability.
The company's training arm said of 2,280 applicants to its apprenticeship scheme, 81% were not employable.
It described the situation as "desperately sad and thoroughly disheartening".
CTG Training which is owned by Arnold Clark Automobiles outlined a number of recurring themes raised by recruiters after interviews with candidates.
Its report said many candidates had a poor attitude to others and poor communication skills with no concept of citizenship.
Many potential employees were also shocked at the number of hours they were expected to work and the report said "the biggest single issue causing difficulties for the transition from school to employment" was the "discrepancy in working hours".
It said the situation deteriorated when candidates had attended further education and said it was increasingly worried at the "State-sponsored babysitting nature of some college programmes rather than specifically-targeted vocational training for near-guaranteed employment".
The training firm did accept that it was recruiting at the "lower end of the achievement spectrum" but said more could be done and said interventions could be made through the arts or sport and more young people should be encouraged to take part in programmes like the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme.
22-05-2012, 07:06 PM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
Not just young Scots unfortunately Roxy, all over Britain the move to a comprehensive education system over the last few decades, where everybody is held back to the lowest common denominator, and discipline has been destroyed by the paralysis which is political correctness, has destroyed an education system that was the making of our huge industrial strength, and has denied to our youth the levels of education enjoyed by us and our predecessors.In our schools there is no longer even any pretence of the pursuit of the excellence which is now demanded by innovative, high tech industry. Our society has let our children down by spoiling them beyond reason, and removing from them any incentive to strive towards educational goals that would give them the best tools they need to excel, and we will all be the poorer for it as we are overtaken by our overseas competitors. Tony Blair promised "education education education", but it was just another broken promise which unfortunately has failed us all..
23-05-2012, 01:06 AM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
It's the same here - like the thread I started on the 'entitled' generation. The new grads expect high starting salaries, lots of vacation time, quick promotions. Watching the 2 teens in this house I see high marks for mediocre work (some of it plagiarized) and wonder how they'll get through university... but if university babysits and mollycoddles them instead of instilling a love of learning, real skills, and a good work ethic then I guess we're in trouble.Further to the comment about poor communications skills, I think it's deplorable to hear a 15 year old say things like "I don't gotta", "me and him", and employ "youse" as the plural of "you". Neither parents nor teachers seem to have taught them otherwise.
23-05-2012, 03:04 PM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
Originally Posted by Willow
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Whilst SOME youngsters don't have the skills needed, many do, it is crass to write them all off!
08-06-2012, 01:05 AM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
Originally Posted by Hu99
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It seems to me that most of today's youth just don't care. Young people from China and India take the initiative themselves to succeed whereas British youth seems to have given up.
She wants spending money but won't apply for entry level jobs because she thinks she deserves better, even though she has no experience at all and is quite young.
She's also taken issue with mandatory high school courses and wants to be exempted from history and other subjects she deems 'useless'.
Not all kids have this attitude but it's when they do.
08-06-2012, 01:32 AM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
I read threads like this and want to weep, having had no children of my own.I am mortified that school children need to take lessons in what I believe is called "citizenship." I'm not sure what that entails exactly, but if children need to be taught how to behave towards others, in school, then there's something seriously wrong with the parenting skills.
I may be old-fashioned - correction, I am old-fashioned by today's standards - but children should be taught respect and how to communicate with different generations at home, not at school, and from an early age. That is of course, if the parents are up to it!
I feel very saddened when I hear a mum or dad yelling at their little one "get the f... over here." They don't stand a chance.
As to expecting high pay for least output, once again, that probably comes from parents who brain-wash their kids into believing that it's not worth getting a job unless they get a good wage from Day 1!
At 15 I was as pleased as punch to secure a good job back in the 60s, my first wage being just £3 10/- 6d - for the WEEK!
I had to give my mum the £3 and the rest was my pocket money and, for those who can't remember 10/- 6d was 52½p in today's money and, if I wanted something like a new top or make-up, I had to save it up, and was happy to do so. 
08-06-2012, 01:39 AM
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Re: Youngsters un-employable.
I don't think the attitude came from her parents though, as her dad has a physically demanding job and her mom works full-time too. I suspect she doesn't want to work as hard as they do. Somehow she thinks she's entitled to an easier time of it. My first summer job was at 14, selling popcorn, candy floss and snow-cones at the Canadian National Exhibition. I made $1.15 an hour and saved all summer to buy myself a bike. I was quite proud of that!
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