FIXING BROKEN BRITAIN
CAN APPRENTICESHIP AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMMES BE THE BAND AID FOR BRITAIN'S YOUTH WOES?

Andrew Chappell-London         7th September 2011

In early August, the world saw images of a Britain either broken or in flames. To restore the buildings of Broken Britain, it will take close to a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money. Of course that's the easy part; the restoration of a Broken Britain society bursting at its seams could be an uphill struggle. Indeed, there's nothing new about the politicians’ catchphrase ‘Broken Britain’;  it has been spouted for years by tabloids, celebrities and even the masters of entrepreneurship such as that of Sir Alan Sugar. In a last ditch effort to fix Broken Britain the influential are calling for radical changes to avert repeats of such occurrences, but  to start with such radical change, surely the question has to be asked; what was the root cause of this recalcitrant behaviour? Is it frustration stemming from economic deprivation, or does it originate from the materialistic world where the many young rioters needed to garb themselves with designer clothes and show off expensive mobile phones? There are now renewed calls that fixing Broken Britain needs an increase in apprenticeship and entrepreneurial programmes to rebuild youth confidence. Could more programmes be the answer or is it just too late? ….. Read More…..

YOUTH ACTIVITIES NEED A FIX?

What was apparent was the young age of most of the rioters. The questions asked were, of course why were they there in the first place? Shall we point the finger at the parents due to lack of parental guidance? Then again is it mainly based on an increasing number of young people in Britain who lack purpose and ambition? Compared to some of its European counterparts, the UK youth unemployment rate is lagging behind. In some cases the youth unemployment rate is double in the UK in comparison to other European states. Perhaps, if many of these young rioters had jobs, many would think twice about staying out late as they would have to work or embark on a training scheme. They are less likely to risk stealing a bottle of wine knowing that a job could mean they could buy ten bottles of wine. Let’s take a look at the facts: the number of NEET’s (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for those aged 19-24 was 18.5% in the first quarter of this year, having risen 0.7% from the first quarter of 2010. So why are there so many NEET’S? Is it due to a lack of employment opportunities? Is it because they are not adequately skilled for the advertised vacancies? Perhaps there aren’t enough education opportunities available with the necessary financial support? Or is it that young people are not aware of the opportunities available to them? The list of questions is endless, but are there quick answers and solutions? 

GOVERNMENT STRATEGY

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published their ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth’ agenda outlining how the government intends to tackle youngsters’ lack of skills and employment opportunities. Some of these reform skills include; seventy-five thousand more young adults will embark on apprenticeship schemes by 2015. Those young adults, aged 19 to 24 who are not adequately qualified will be fully funded to undertake their first full level 2 (GCSE equivalent) or first level 3 qualification. Fully funded basic skills courses are also available for individuals who left school without basic reading, writing and mathematics. Besides more than 50 million pounds of investment channelled into youth skills development, there’s also a policy change by replacing ‘Train to Gain’ with a focus on Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in assisting employers in the training of low-skilled staff. The government strategy is commendable; indeed it may be a step in the right direction of fixing of Broken Britain. Education and training is key, but why is the target primarily on ‘low skilled’ education schemes? Will these qualifications be of any worth for a youngster? Are the youth worth more than just merely 'low skilled'? Let’s give the youth some credit, with the old fashion saying ‘the youth are the leaders of tomorrow’. So they will need education that warrants good leadership skills. Surely the government needs to match the levels of ambition which they would like to instil within the minds of their people?

START- UP BRITAIN

If one is to mend a Broken Britain where jobs are scarce should one be thinking of a start-up of young entrepreneurs? In today’s globalised world, entrepreneurship and SMEs are buzzwords, with many countries referring to SMEs as the backbone of the country’s economy. In recent media releases, it appears that the UK government is catching on by acknowledging that ‘they need to boost entrepreneurship, as the Government hasn’t been as supportive as it could have been in the past'. Business Secretary, Vince Cable, said “All the surveys show that unless you come from an entrepreneurial family, most people switch off and don’t engage in entrepreneurship.” The programme, Start-Up Britain due to be rolled out at the end of the year will include support for every school to develop its own business, and the creation of an “enterprise society” at each university and college. Schools will receive access to a range of online resources assisting teachers to give practical advice on how to set up and manage a business, as well as support from local business experts. Enterprise societies will provide university students with the skills they need to run a business. Indeed pundits are saying that the programme is a positive step towards encouraging young people to start businesses. The benefits of existing schemes, such as Young Enterprise, are well known boosting the individual’s confidence, developing an appreciation of their skills and the opportunities available to them on leaving school. Sir Richard Branson has even endorsed the new government programme, stating that he started his business from a phone-box at school more than forty years ago with a bag of coins. “Now thanks to Start-Up Britain, thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs will have a big helping hand with their communication, travel and finance to kick start businesses and try to create Britain's great companies of the future, " said Branson. With Start-Up Britain -Bus tours occurring around the country, could government be waking up that perhaps some youth have the innovative ideas but really don’t know how to convey these ideas across into practical entrepreneurial tools? Or is this just another programme that will run its course with no results? ….. ….Have your say…