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Most school leavers are not employable

• 14-08-2008 6:24 PM

  hrmagazine.co.uk Joined on 05-08-2008 Posts 36	Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact The education system is not equipping school leavers with the skills to succeed at work. Read: Most school leavers are not employable.

• 14-08-2008 6:24 PM

  In reply to

  Trisha Goring Joined on 14-08-2008 Posts 2	RE: Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact With so little discipline in both home and school, it is hardly surprising that school leavers don't fit into the work regime - under 25s in general are far less reliable in the workplace and have no concept of suitable dress or behaviour.

• 20-08-2008 11:55 AM

  In reply to

  Gill Wilmot Joined on 20-08-2008 Posts 1

  RE: Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact I think Trisha's comments are a bit harsh. No-one starts out knowing exactly how to behave at work, as with everything, it is down to experience. What we are really looking for is potential One thing we have found is that using personality profiling can be really useful in sorting out those candidates who will fit in with our workplace and those who may not be so suited. There are lots of different questionnaires on the market but we have found "Identity" very straight-forward to use and interpret. Try it for yourself at www.identityquestionnaire.com

• 20-08-2008 4:09 PM

  In reply to

  Chris Crossley Joined on 20-08-2008 Posts 1

  Re: RE: Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact It is a shame to think that there are people who think the way that Trisha do.  For a start, talking about under 25s "in general" is ridiculous.  Does she mean school leavers, university leavers or just 'young people' in general?  I would love to know how many under 25s Trisha has worked with as it can't be many.  It is statements like this that only reinforce the negative attitude towards young people here in the UK.   As an 'general' under 25 myself, I consider myself to be reliable, well behaved and have a good idea about suitable work attire.  Granted, I am a university graduate but as I am being tarnished with Trisha's under 25 brush, I feel compelled to disagree with her.  I would also say that my brother, an 18 year old who has just received his A-levels would also have a good idea of how to dress and behave at work.  He is also very reliable and has had work experience. Gil is 100% right, it is experience of working that makes the difference.  For school leavers to become 'employable' it is going to take employers to take a chance on them and train them up.  Whether someone is 16, 18, 25 or 50 - if they have never worked, how are they ever going to be employable?  It is the employers who need to change and offer school leavers training schemes and time to develop.  It is very hard for shcool leavers nowadays with every job adbvertisement saying 'experience required' and this needs to change.

• 18-11-2008 9:13 AM

  In reply to

  Michael Madelin Joined on 06-10-2008 Posts 1

  Re: RE: Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact I completely agree with Chris. I am a university student myself and have experienced first-hand the common stereotype that simply because I am barely into my twenties I cannot be taken seriously in the workplace, and must be void of any relevant job experience. This being the case, I decided to undertake an internship within an HR department in my first year, and a placement year in my third year of study. I will therefore leave university at 22 having worked for 18 months within a large organisation. I only hope that this will allow me to get a 'foot in the door' and show that many young, relatively inexperienced workers have the willingness to learn and the drive to succeed.

• 06-12-2008 10:10 PM

  In reply to

  Natalie Lancaster Joined on 24-11-2008 Posts 2

  RE: Most school leavers are not employable Reply Contact I think the eloquent responses of Gil, Chris and Michael, who are themselves self-confessed 'under-25-year-olds', amply demonstrate the wealth of young talent we have in this country! Tarring all with one brush is never a true picture. However, there ARE issues at point here. There is a case for saying that there is increasing child poverty in this country, and a growing underclass \(shown best perhaps by the unveiling of the lives of those surrounding the Shannon Matthews case). There is also a case for saying that mothers from all parts of society spend more time working and much less time with their children than their forebears did - whether due to the single parent situations, or state encouragement for them to be out at work. In both these growing demographics, report after report tells us that child-care and discipline at home suffer. That employers therefore find young people arriving in their employ to be the victims of such circumstances is inevitable. This is a growing problem because the two demographics causing the problem are growing - and that is where government should focus it's attention if it wants to improve the employability of young people.