IT goes without saying that summer and Saturday jobs prepare young people for careers in later life. This early experience of the workplace develops 'soft skills', particularly in areas such as customer service and time management, and builds confidence. And it demonstrates a work ethic on the CV, making young people appealing as potential employees down the line.

I have worked since I was 13. It started with babysitting for neighbours, then my first Saturday job, aged 15, on a market stall and later in a bakery. From there I had a succession of student holiday jobs - in factories, packing crisps and shampoo bottles; in pubs, where I learned to hand-pull pints of bitter; waitressing in a burger bar; and teaching English to Spanish children in a language school. One summer I worked in a factory by day and a local pub in the evenings. At that age I had the energy, and I enjoyed earning my own money.

It was expected of students to support themselves through the long holidays; most of my friends worked over summer too, in shops, bars and holiday camps. When a pal and I set off to Greece for a fortnight before starting university, it was a break that we'd earned, having spent most of the summer sweating it out in a factory.

Not working just wasn't an option. I didn't have the luxury of unlimited spending money, and from an early age I valued financial independence. So I find it staggering that the number of teenagers working while studying has more than halved since 1997.

Now the Government has launched a drive to get young people working in the summer holidays again, placing 20,000 posts on its Find a Job website. Posts include hospitality and retail work on part-time shifts which can be juggled with higher education.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey says such jobs are vital to equip the younger generation with skills for post-Brexit Britain. But she warned a ‘cultural shift’ has seen teenagers focus on education and training at the expense of earning extra money and gaining work experience, leading to a decline in numbers working while studying, and a drop in those taking on Saturday jobs.

Lizzie Crowley, skills adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says work experience is 'absolutely essential', and that many employers value soft or employability skills. “A young person that enters the labour market having had no experience of paid work...(is) at a considerable disadvantage," she said.

Mike Spicer, director of research and economics at the British Chamber of Commerce, says young people who have experienced the world of work make attractive candidates, and 'help to build a pipeline of work-ready talent for the future'.

One problem is that Saturday and summer jobs are harder to come by now. When I was a teenager you could walk into a shop or cafe and land a job just like that. Now there are application forms, interviews, and competition. And some jobs don't offer the hours to fit in with studies.

Hopefully the Government's pool of summer jobs, promoted online, will make it easier for young people to find suitable places.

Lolling around all summer living off the Bank of Mum and Dad won't seem so great when you're trying to explain those early work gaps in your CV at a future job interview.