Report warns one in ten young people 'cannot cope with day-to-day life' (From York Press)

only 1 in ten?

Oh I do feel sorry for them, as they say get a life, there are lots of opportunities for the NEETs to get involved in their local community- ‘they’ just don’t want to work at it just want everything on a plate. Not willing to work for minimum wage, not willing to do voluntary work, well it’s only going to get worse for them with benefit cuts to come and the soon to be introduced bedroom tax will see more wandering the streets .

I have to agree with Goodfellow. The teenagers I know don't seem to appreciate how much voluntary work would help them get a job. All I hear is 'I'm not working for free!! Do you think I'm stupid?'

I have yet to meet one that will get out of bed for less than £10 per hour!

Let's not make general statements about teenagers and assume they are all like goodfellows children.

The sad fact of the matter is, this financial created depression will leave in it's path a massive amount of future social problems and we will all have to pick up the tab.

Smug I'm alright jack responses welcome

I'm sure they're not all like that, but there are alot that are. Work isn't as easy to come by these days, especially for inexperienced young people. So they need to get creative and think about how they can get the advantage on the other teenagers around. Alot just seem to think that they'll be starting in some amazing well paid job from day 1! It's part of the 'I want it now' culture unfortunately.

They just need a good kick up the @rse!

Goodfellow - I tend to agree with you, loads of opportunities for volunteering. It is though difficult to get on the job ladder with hundreds of applicants per job but with the opportunity of taking an apprenticeship with training, I personally take that rather than be stuck at home with no hope. The longer you are unemployed the harder it is to get a job.

I feel sorry for them because life will be a struggle with debt, but when there are workless households who have never worked a day in their lives and that are being paid more benefits than they would if they went to work, what's the point, they are better off on benefits. Then comes a vicious cycle of being on benefit and it is getting off of it!!!

Good to see that the milk of human compassion gushes freely from the breasts of those who, presumably, have made it. Of course there will be some who want to freeload but that doesn't mean that kids who can't get a job deserve a good kicking.

In my job I've seen some wonderful voluntary work done by teenagers. Some of it takes my breath away in admiration in terms of dedication and effort. So less of the sweeping generalisations.

It's people like Goodfellow, Mrs Honey, Jazzper & Mr Anderson that make it unbearable for young people.

If stats are to be believed then 1 in 2 ( of all ages) will be jobless by 2016... lets hope it's not any of you smug people!

It's not easy for young people to get a job in the vicious circle, no job no experience.

Never kick someone when they are down....as the famous catchphrase goes...."it could be you"

Many of the young people whom I go to University with are having to do 'extra' to get a job as it enhances their CV and adds life experience.

Many years ago, it was easy to get a job, not now. Without experience, no job. Actually, I get entirely fed up of having to do voluntary work when it should be a paid job paying £17,000+ per annum.

Until we are out of this vicious cycle of lowest possible wage then we won't be out of this recession!!!! And whilst we are paying out more benefits including working tax credits etc then the economy needs to recover and they get jobs.

What the heck, a whole ruddy generation of 18-25 year olds without job, it's a scandal.

I find some of the above comments offensive and slightly upsetting.... such as those by Goodfellow, Mrs Honey, Jazzper & Mr Anderson.

The educational system is partly to blame for this, because it instills in the young minds that you get good qualifications, go from school to college then to university, and as soon as you leave college or university you get into a good job. In reality it is only the top 2-5% who get the absolute highest grades possible that will move into such a job, and those who just ar$ed around in school and got poor marks left school and either lounge about on the dole or have simply gone and got the first job they could find which would have likely been at McDonalds. Students in the middle band, getting mainly B and C grades, are in the worst position... they don't have high enough grades to move into the good jobs yet are seen as overqualified to get some menial job that pays the bills. I am not in the 16-15 age group but I fall into that grade category, having left college the best part of 10 years ago and only having been able to get 2 temporary jobs in that time despite having been to college and been on several training schemes and having practical experience as an electrician. One such job was in a foodstore stacking shelves - how demoralising do you think it is for somebody to have 12 GCSE's all grade C to A and A-Levels to end up working for just under £7 an hour gettings cans off a stack and putting them on a shelf night after night, in a company where communication is poor so stock in the store rooms can change location and the workers are just expected to find it and still only take 5 minutes filling up their stacks and getting back on to the floor, where breaks are counted from the second you leave the floor so by time you get to the break area you only have 5 minutes break before it's back to work for 3 hours or more? I'd like to ask Goodfellow, Mrs Honey, Jazzper & Mr Anderson to work under those circumstances and see how they feel!!

Then let's consider the jobcentre's rules for claiming the dole, as set out by David Cameron and his bunch of crooks accepting payments by big companies in order to keep taxes low for them.... One bug clause is that jobseekers must by law be able and willing to travel up to 90 minutes each way to/from work. This means that every day you should plan to travel up to 3 hours between work and home, unpaid. In public transport terms this means looking for work in places as far away as Newcastle and even Peterborough (if you live in walking distance of the train station and work at the other end is the same) - so then you have to consider financial expenditure on that... will the wages received be enough to provide enough to live on, with extra to save for a house/girlfriend/fam
ily, AND pay the train fares? In most cases the answer is 'no' but the jobcentre will still force you to apply for it because, according to the government, there is "A job for everybody". Where is the investment in work-based training (NOT Apprenticeships)? What about reducing red tape so that if a major road/rail building project is announced the contractor can hire local persons willing to work on normal wages and wanting the experience without having huge expenses in insurance and training as the government would cover those costs?? No, instead taxes are reduced for the highest earners and big buisnesses, the NHS is opened up to people visiting the country, we pay out £BILLIONS to countries that have their own space program, whilst Cameron and his crooks go round taking away benefits from the disabled and handicapped, single parents, families, and the unemployed.

Most companies that offer anything in the way of a decent job that isn't temporary or a zero-hour contract will only advertise vacancies for those already with proven experience and the paper qualifications to boot. But how, prey, do we get these qualifications without any form of subsidy or support to offset the costs involved? A lot of jobs advertised currently require applicants to have a driving license - does the government fund persons unemployed for more than 2 years to get a driving license? no it does not. That is just a very simple example of a major failing... if driving lessons and exams were at least 50% subsidised for persons who have been long term unemployed (and jobs less than 3 months in length would not break this term) for 2 years, with higher subsidies for those unemployed for 4 or more years, then those who the government sees as the biggest drains on the dole would now have driving licenses and would be able to apply for vacancies such as delivery drivers, meter readers, etc.
But no, far better to feed out information to the media about how many unemployed there are, with media outlets like the Daily Mail and The Sun labelling such people as Scroungers and Dossers, than it is to actually DO something about it, because DOING something involves SPENDING MONEY - shock horror! Something the Tories have nightmares about!!

Don't presume that you're the only person with qualifications who's had to do a rubbish job Magicman. I have a degree but it took me a year after graduating to get work and that was as a temp doing such exciting work as stuffing envelopes and stapling together fact sheets. (And I applied for jobs in Newcastle, Durham, even London). I temped for 3 years before getting a permanent job. And was it a fantastic graduate position in my chosen career? No, it was the office dogsbody. It has taken me 15 years to reach a position where my salary is only just over the starting graduate salary. I am just grateful to have a job and realise that life isn't a bed of roses, it doesn't always work out the way you want but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you can to earn a wage.

I do feel sorry for young people but they just have to get over it because it's not going to change. Especially now that people aren't forced to retire there will be older people in jobs that traditionally would've gone to young people. I have a 17 year old who will soon be leaving college. I have been trying to encourage him to get as much experience as possible and to get a part time job. Finally he has one, he hates it but tough. That is life, most of do things we don't really want to because we have to.

If one in ten seriously can't cope, that leaves the remaining 9 a wonderful opportunity to seek a career as counsellors or undertakers, surely?

Podlet wrote:
If one in ten seriously can't cope, that leaves the remaining 9 a wonderful opportunity to seek a career as counsellors or undertakers, surely?

It is all very well people saying you should do unpaid voluntary work for experience. What are you supposed to live on? Are you supposed to sleep on the streets and work for nothing for 6 months?
Vicious circle this getting work business, don't have job and get refused because you don't have experience - don't have experience because can't get job without experience(?!)
Get degree, can't get degree based job, too much competition, can't get monkey work because overqualified or doesn't pay enough to live anywhere remotely near job.
Get temp low paid job, can't get rental contract because only temp job.
Hmm, not hard to see why young people are depressed.

Podlet wrote:
If one in ten seriously can't cope, that leaves the remaining 9 a wonderful opportunity to seek a career as counsellors or undertakers, surely?

It is all very well people saying you should do unpaid voluntary work for experience. What are you supposed to live on? Are you supposed to sleep on the streets and work for nothing for 6 months?
Vicious circle this getting work business, don't have job and get refused because you don't have experience - don't have experience because can't get job without experience(?!)
Get degree, can't get degree based job, too much competition, can't get monkey work because overqualified or doesn't pay enough to live anywhere remotely near job.
Get temp low paid job, can't get rental contract because only temp job.
Hmm, not hard to see why young people are depressed.

"A frightening number of unemployed young people in Yorkshire and the Humber feel unable to cope – and it is particularly tough for those who don’t have a support network in place. "

A support network doesnt have to cost, this could be family, friends or finding a mentor of some sort. This indicates a bigger problem of community not supporting itself and having complete dependancy on the government. Need to dig deep and wean off the expectancy from govt!

theartist wrote:

Podlet wrote:
If one in ten seriously can't cope, that leaves the remaining 9 a wonderful opportunity to seek a career as counsellors or undertakers, surely?

It is all very well people saying you should do unpaid voluntary work for experience. What are you supposed to live on? Are you supposed to sleep on the streets and work for nothing for 6 months?
Vicious circle this getting work business, don't have job and get refused because you don't have experience - don't have experience because can't get job without experience(?!)
Get degree, can't get degree based job, too much competition, can't get monkey work because overqualified or doesn't pay enough to live anywhere remotely near job.
Get temp low paid job, can't get rental contract because only temp job.
Hmm, not hard to see why young people are depressed.

I'm saying that young people need to volunteer whilst still at school/college. They can do something in the evenings, at the weekends or in any free time that they might get. Some at college even get a day a week set aside especially for this. I just know from experience alot of them think it's my free time, I want to relax and have fun rather work. But unfortunately it's a tough world out there and they'll just have to get on with it.

I had to live with my parents whilst I was temping, I admit I was lucky that they had the room and didn't mind. I did pay my way though.

I am sick and tired of the phrase"There are no jobs",this is untrue,there are plenty of jobs,it is just that the jobs available are not what people,especially teenagers want or are prepared to do..
I have worked in the cleaning industry for the past 17 years and have employed literally hundreds of teenagers,the majority of who lasted about two weeks!
Having said that,some teens were brilliant and worked hard..but these were few and far between

Mrs Honey says....

"I'm saying that young people need to volunteer whilst still at school/college. They can do something in the evenings, at the weekends or in any free time that they might get. Some at college even get a day a week set aside especially for this. "

Agree wholeheartedly with what you have said. Plus the University that I go to actually sets 1/2 day a week for this very purpose to join and participate in clubs, to seek volunteering opportunities (there are a lot) and do something different to enhance CVs. This is because it will distinguish between somebody who has just got a 2i or a 1st to somebody 'different' with an enhanced set of skills that they could transfer into employment.

I would agree with you on the temporary side as for three years I have done that but sadly there is no work at present as that has dried up.

lowbeam:

I am sick and tired of the phrase"There are no jobs",this is untrue,there are plenty of jobs,it is just that the jobs available are not what people,especially teenagers want or are prepared to do..

errrm, no. There are jobs out there, of which young persons like myself have gone to interviews for but are rejected because there is always somebody else who is a hand-in-glove fit for the position, with exactly the right amount of qualifications and experience. You go take a look in the jobcentre and see the amount of carp employers ask for nowadays. ((intentional letter transposition))

--

Also, when you sign on at the jobcentre every 2 weeks you are asked if you have done any work paid OR UNPAID.... because doing any work, even unpaid, can reduce the amount of benefits you receive!

Magicman! wrote:
lowbeam:

I am sick and tired of the phrase"There are no jobs",this is untrue,there are plenty of jobs,it is just that the jobs available are not what people,especially teenagers want or are prepared to do..

errrm, no. There are jobs out there, of which young persons like myself have gone to interviews for but are rejected because there is always somebody else who is a hand-in-glove fit for the position, with exactly the right amount of qualifications and experience. You go take a look in the jobcentre and see the amount of carp employers ask for nowadays. ((intentional letter transposition))

--

Also, when you sign on at the jobcentre every 2 weeks you are asked if you have done any work paid OR UNPAID.... because doing any work, even unpaid, can reduce the amount of benefits you receive!

It could affect your benefits or it might not affect them at all. ?You'd have to discuss it with someone.

'Volunteering shouldn’t affect your right to benefits. As long as the only money you receive is to cover your volunteering expenses, such as travel.

There are no limits on the amount of time you can volunteer for, as long as you continue to meet the conditions of the benefit or tax credit you are receiving.

For example, if you receive Jobseekers Allowance you must
•still be actively seeking a full-time job
•able to attend job interviews at 48 hours' notice
•be available to work at one week’s notice'

Mrs Honey is correct on the following:

There are no limits on the amount of time you can volunteer for, as long as you continue to meet the conditions of the benefit or tax credit you are receiving.

There used to be a 16 hour rule which you had to abide by before the voluntary work affected your benefit. Now that is not the case. You can claim reasonable expenses i.e travelling to the voluntary work.

Magicman! I somewhat agree with you about being no jobs, having looked for one myself for two years. However, mine is slightly a different case as I am an experienced secretary. That in itself has caused problems as has been over-qualified. My disabilities do not help.

But there are plenty of junior admin jobs, apprenticeships or whatever.

Failing to apply for jobs that the JobCentre actually matches to you or suggests you apply will amount to sanctioning your benefit or widening your choice of location.

Whether you wish to be out of work for ever and a day is entirely up to you. Personally, the longer you are out of work the harder it is to get a job.

Leave the kids alone!

Your anger and frust needs to be focused on the real causes of this disgusting scenario. And it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know it's Greedy and selfish people that have corrupted our children's opportunities.