Government work experience scheme for young people

[Eric The Viking]

I took my eldest to look at media studies at a well known ("centre of excellence") breeze-block university a couple of years ago. The only sensible course in the department was journalism, where they insisted that industry-standard shorthand qualifications were passed in the first year. The technical course seminar gave a very slick presentation, with three case study ex-students. When I asked at the end which of their graduates were working in full-time production posts, I was glared at - they had to admit not a single one was.

There are far too many media courses for the size of the industry, and the result is that salaries have plummeted, as it's cheap to use free 'interns' instead of paying properly. There are still only two places worth getting operational training at: Wood Norton and Ravensborne, and they are correspondingly hard to get into and expensive.

Even Jacob's offspring, whilst they may be busy, don't seem to be fully salaried full time employees (unless I misunderstand him).

Regarding broadcasting itself, there's an old saying: "if you can still hear the sound and see the pictures, there's room for further efficiency savings."

E.

 

[Jacob]

Some weird misinformed nonsense in the above posts.

 

[Digit]

Where?

Roy.

 

[studders]

Some weird misinformed nonsense in the above posts.

Some wild assumptions as well, though there's nothing new there. :roll:

 

[MickCheese]

If I wanted a career in woodworking I would happily work for free for one of you lot, if I wanted a career in the police force I would volunteer as a community officer ect.

.

And while you are volunteering you would be doing someone out of a job. The Police Force is really no place for people wanting to dress up and pretend to be on the telly. When something is going seriously wrong do we really want an unpaid, sometimes poorly trained and often inexperienced copper turning up? When I put my money in the bank I would be horrified if the person investing it was just there on their day off because they liked the the sense of power handling large sums of money gave them.

Apprentices should be paid a wage and if it means topping it up from state funds and it results in young people with better work skills not sitting around kicking their heals then I support it.

Mick

 

[LuptonM]

Volunteering for the police already exists. Much better than Tescos

http://www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/volun ... rview.html and http://www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/specials/index.html

 

[MickCheese]

I know it already exists I just don't agree with it.

Mick

 

[Dusty]

I think the whole goverment is off their rocker ......Spending 3 billion of subsidizing a very profitable company who hoards their money in off shore accounts to avoid tax and revenue ......


How about putting the 3 billion on to low cost housing which will help sort out the housing crisis for first time buyers and use the construction projects as a way of training up new apprentices and get the youth off the dole , cut their money off if they refuse , and employ many of those tradesmen out of work ........Problem solved ,

And I have to agree ,ditch all the pointless courses at uni or atleast reduce the number of placements , but that will never happen as , as long people will pay the fee's the establishments will take the money .

And I too know a few people who went to college and uni and became super qaulified and too are working in your usual 9 to 5 job and just to top it off they dont have to pay their fee's back until they are earning over £14,000 , how many will ever earn over this until they are retired .
Kind regards Sam

 

[Digit]

As was pointed out earlier Sam, apprentices are useless at first and cost employers money to train, so yes, government funding would definitely help out there.
But, firstly, during a recession, what ever the cause, how many employers are hiring anybody?
The self employed small business man is a large part of the economy, any government aid will be likely, which ever party is in power, come with all sorts of extra problems and reams of paperwork, that's what bureaucrats do!
Also, what ever help the government offers there has to be the work available to give the apprentice the experience, and as I pointed out earlier you are also asking the self employed to train their competiters in many cases, in difficult times they simply aren't going to do it!

Roy.

 

[Chrispy]

I would dearly like to take on a young willing and able apprentice so that I may be able to try and pass on some hard learnt experience, but it would cost me a lot more than 2k to meet with all the rules and regs of employment today the very thought of it all puts me off, so I shall just carry on by my self. ( until some one makes that illegal / unsafe working practice )

 

[LuptonM]

Couldn't u get round the whole apprentice paper work thing if they were classed as self employed?

Does anyone know if you'd need a license or something to sell ice cream near the beach or to set up a market stool? I am just wandering how viable it would to apply certain parts of the 'apprentice' (BBC program) to real life, if say you needed the cash. I find the problem with the program is that everything is already laid out and business contacts are already made.

 

[Dusty]

Good Evening Chrispy , About 2 years ago I took on a labourer and he progressed to being more than useful , to the point where he could be classed as a skilled labourer . He asked me for an apprenticeship and I said I would have to think about it as it is a commitment for both of us . I was about to put the paper work through when the market started to dip . I got panicky so and looked in to other options , and we decided he could go down the OSAT route , he was so keen to work and I agreed to supply him with as much work as possible ........Basicaly I pay him around 200 a week , he is earning a good sum and becoming qaulified . As for training a competitor ,, someone taught me , and it is more of a case of I would make money out of him in the process and so it is all just round abouts .

It only took about 4 weeks before he started paying his way , yes it can take longer depending on the trade .

To sum it up , there are plenty of different training schemes and if the goverment were to offer contracts for long term work to an employer , I am more than sure they would employ apprentices ( that are useful ) if it was part of the stipulation of the work .

It was only said about 5 years ago that we are going to end up with a generation of people who are massively over qualified but cannot find work , and with a massive lack of real skill with in the construction industry . Plus the fact that it is now "nicer" to leave school then spend another 3 + years skulking around uni than to go out and get wet and muddy on site in the winter .


What I would simply propose that the goverment say to all unemployed persons that can work that either they take a trade/ apprenticeship and earn xxxx per week or face having their goverment donations ( doll / job seeker allowance / extended holiday sponging allowance ) .

All I am saying is , why are they throwing yet more money around thinking of it as a solution when all it is really a quick fix to make the books look good for the goverment , when we need long term fixes and the more problems we solve with one fist full of dollars the better .

Kind regards Sam

 

[Jacob]

......
It was only said about 5 years ago that we are going to end up with a generation of people who are massively over qualified but cannot find work , and with a massive lack of real skill with in the construction industry . ......

Being over qualified never stopped anybody getting a job - if they don't have the skill they are under qualified, by definition. Instead of blaming students for "skulking around uni" you should blame the government for running down training and education opportunities, especially for the "working classes" and "blue collar" jobs.
Since Thatcher they have been going on about "excellence" - grammar schools, academies etc but they don't want "excellence " for everybody.
They have successfully persuaded quite a large section of the community that there is too much education going on - "too highly qualified" on the one hand but "failing schools" on the other.
You see the results on this thread - the turkeys, as usual, voting for christmas. :lol:
The whole tone has changed over the years - we now talk of "forcing scroungers" into apprenticeships (there aren't any), making people work for nothing (called slavery traditionally), privatisation etc, instead of provision of appropriate education and training opportunities for all, for life, free, financed and run by the state.
They have won a really spooky 1984 ish propaganda war by persuading us that it's the kids faults for "skulking around uni" or otherwise taking up the limited opportunities available to them, where in fact it's governments fault for not making adequate provision. Another disincentive is to make people pay for further education.

 

[studders]

Being over qualified never stopped anybody getting a job ....

Really? I know at least two people who would disagree with you on that.

 

[RogerS]

Being over qualified never stopped anybody getting a job ....

Really? I know at least two people who would disagree with you on that.

Welcome to Jacob World !

 

[tomatwark]

One reason the skilled courses were run down was that the colleges could make more money by putting more bums on seats.

You are only allowed a certain amount of students in a workshop based class ( I think it is 15 or 20 ) where as in a class that you sit down in you can have more.

So the colleges make a lot more money and as the courses cost a lot less to run due to the higher running costs and less students per room of a practical subject.

The colleges will never reintroduce a lot of these courses because the capital out lay and running costs are to great.

Tom

 

[LuptonM]

Being over qualified never stopped anybody getting a job ....

Really? I know at least two people who would disagree with you on that.

Yes and no. If I was brain surgeon and applied for a job in Tescos stacking shelves they would reject me. If I was a brain surgeon who just happened to leave out fact he was a "brain surgeon and went to this university" on his CV I bet his chances would be increased. If you're 'over qualified' recruiters will just think you need something temporary to pay the bills and are not looking for a full time position there

 

[Digit]

Yes, I'm afraid that Jacob's experience of the 'real' world seems limited. I was turned down for a job in South Africa as i was 'over qualified' and they thought that I would be head hunted as soon as I got off he boat. I moved house and applied for the first job that I could do and was rejected as 'over qualified' again.

As for training a competitor ,, someone taught me , and it is more of a case of I would make money out of him in the process and so it is all just round abouts .

Yes Sam, in Jacob's world. Where I live there are few jobs available, when I started my own business, I had too, I was 'over qualified' for everything in the job centre, there were two local chaps servicing domestic appliances, I was number three.
Over the nex few years 5 more people attempted to set up similar businesses.
My son is now the only local chap, there isn't the market! Thus he would be cutting his own throat to train someone.
With the exception of British Gas every local heating engineer that I know of is self employed, I know of only one sparks who isn't self employed.

Roy.

 

[Benchwayze]

I taught quite a few "Marys and Tommys from Tescos".
The majority of them made good, and as someone said, anyone who is prepared to grind away, doing a soul destroying job in a supermarket, is not the type to sit about and moan.

Having said that, the new scheme is not really new is it?

My son did 'work experience' in the eighties. He is now a foreman (Works Manager-in waiting) on the floor of an HGV repair facility. Not bad for work experience, followed up by evening college, and doing the rounds of garages looking for a place. Provided unscrupulous firms don't misuse the kids, it's what the kids do with the experience they get that counts.

John

 

[studders]

If I was a brain surgeon who just happened to leave out fact he was a "brain surgeon and went to this university" on his CV I bet his chances would be increased.

As soon as they check out your references and work history and find out you've lied you'd very likely be shown the door.