The latest unemployment figures show that youth (16-24) unemployment is the biggest ever. Is anyone actually surprised at that ? I'm not !

Kids used to leave school prepared for work (at whatever level was deemed appropriate) - often with schools' career masters actually finding jobs / interviews for them.

Now ... they leave school without any basic qualifications and then go on to "college" to get the basic results that they should have got at school !

In the own home town the local "Tech" (where the thickies were sent to get trained as plumbers and brickies) is now a "college" and specialises in getting GCSE's - something which should have been done at mainstream school !

The last government encouraged everyone to go to University - regardless of aptitude or need - and we now have masses of graduates with no hope of work. (McDonalds don't actually require a degree to flip burgers !)

My father used to say that although their education was limited, everyone left school able to read, writer and more importantly - fill-in an application form ! (His mental arithmetic still leaves me standing).

What hope for the future ?

In The Know wrote:
The latest unemployment figures show that youth (16-24) unemployment is the biggest ever. Is anyone actually surprised at that ? I'm not !

Kids used to leave school prepared for work (at whatever level was deemed appropriate) - often with schools' career masters actually finding jobs / interviews for them.

Now ... they leave school without any basic qualifications and then go on to "college" to get the basic results that they should have got at school !

In the own home town the local "Tech" (where the thickies were sent to get trained as plumbers and brickies) is now a "college" and specialises in getting GCSE's - something which should have been done at mainstream school !

The last government encouraged everyone to go to University - regardless of aptitude or need - and we now have masses of graduates with no hope of work. (McDonalds don't actually require a degree to flip burgers !)

My father used to say that although their education was limited, everyone left school able to read, writer and more importantly - fill-in an application form ! (His mental arithmetic still leaves me standing).

What hope for the future ?

Whilst I agree with most of what you write I'm intrigued as to why you think those who trained as plumbers and brickies must be deemed "thickies". Please explain.

times have changed but political thinking hasn't.

when I left school I had the choice of hundreds of jobs.

now a machine or computer does 99% of those jobs.

people should be paid not to have a job..they can have an occupation instead.

in 20 years it will be considered a privilege if not an oddity to have a 'job'.

Bump

veritas wrote:
times have changed but political thinking hasn't.

when I left school I had the choice of hundreds of jobs.

now a machine or computer does 99% of those jobs.

Whose fault is that? Should we slow down progress?

Just because we needed people to do menial jobs years ago (after we had spent vast amounts on their "education") doesn't mean we have to do it today.

People are given every opportunity at school ...
it is their fault that they do not take full advantage of it.

(PS The 2nd part of your post is just ridiculous !)

Can you kindly answer my question ITK?

angel wrote:
Can you kindly answer my question ITK?

Generally not as intellectually and academically alert as the rest - hence suitable for training in manual work (and we DO need plumbers and brickies !).

PS - Had a tiny bit of snow here today - gone now though.

but does that make plumbers 'thickies'?

what an insulting term to use.

david wrote:
but does that make plumbers 'thickies'

In the sense that they are not academically suited to higher education, yes.

ok, so people who work in manual trades are 'thick'.... hmmmm

What an idiotic statement, In The Know. Completely unfounded. You have to study to be a plumber and it's one of the few professions that pays very well in addition to being one for which there'll always be work.

Jonathan King's Crystal Balls wrote:
What an idiotic statement, In The Know. Completely unfounded. You have to study to be a plumber and it's one of the few professions that pays very well in addition to being one for which there'll always be work.

I've been misconstrued JK, I did say (above) that plumbers etc were needed and always in demand !

I was refering to the difference - years ago - when people were classified as academically gifted (and therefor suitable for higher / further education, and those more suited to manual trades.

Sounds like a backtrack to me. Comments like that only offend ITK. Its a shame you're not clever enough to know better.

angel wrote:
Sounds like a backtrack to me. Comments like that only offend ITK. Its a shame you're not clever enough to know better.

Angel,

The original post was complaining that people are not reaching their qualifications at school and are going on to "college" (Tech) in order to take 2 more years to achieve what should have been done at school.

You think these people are educationally advanced ? .... or thickies ?

'thickies' is a deliberately insulting term, but you have a record of such stuff.

your very name 'In The Know' and your tabloid style rantings make it hard to take you seriously at times, which is a shame as you are clearly not a 'thickie'.

anyway, mooooving on....

In The Know wrote:
angel wrote:
Sounds like a backtrack to me. Comments like that only offend ITK. Its a shame you're not clever enough to know better.

You think these people are educationally advanced ? .... or thickies ?

Neither. BTW it's spelt "In the know". No need for the capitals. Oh dear tis all becoming clear dear.

david wrote:
'thickies' is a deliberately insulting term, but you have a record of such stuff....

Perhaps we should all behave like New Labour and pretend that everyone can go to University ?

Or shall we just refer to them as educationally retarded ?

The real reason that there are so many young unemployed is that they are unemployable !

Angel wrote:
Neither. BTW it's spelt "In the know". No need for the capitals. Oh dear tis all becoming clear dear.

Been on the Scottish "wine" again, angel ?

In The Know wrote:
veritas wrote:
times have changed but political thinking hasn't.

when I left school I had the choice of hundreds of jobs.

now a machine or computer does 99% of those jobs.

Whose fault is that? Should we slow down progress?

Just because we needed people to do menial jobs years ago (after we had spent vast amounts on their "education") doesn't mean we have to do it today.

People are given every opportunity at school ...
it is their fault that they do not take full advantage of it.

(PS The 2nd part of your post is just ridiculous !)

it's a combined fault of many not facing the future. Schools have turned into child minding centres teaching few skills that will be needed in the future.

smartest people at present are plumbers, electricians..trades needed for decades to come.

In The Know wrote:
david wrote:
'thickies' is a deliberately insulting term, but you have a record of such stuff....

Perhaps we should all behave like New Labour and pretend that everyone can go to University ?

Or shall we just refer to them as educationally retarded ?

The real reason that there are so many young unemployed is that they are unemployable !

if you had left it to conservatives there would be few universities as they believe everyone should stay in their place.

Labour Party policy was always not that everyone went to university...but that everyone who wanted to go had the opportunity.

Fuck knows what Nu Labour wanted..they aren't old Labour. They are Thatcherites.