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Youth Unemployment Hits a Million

Youth unemployment has taken on a new urgency with almost one million young Brits without a job, with graduate employment rates are nearly twice the national average.
Finance, Lifestyle - 14 June 2011   Download IconContent available for download:  
Audio | Interview with Camilla Scheideman| Login to Download

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Latest figures have revealed that youth unemployment has taken on a new urgency of late, with almost one million young Brits without a job. Graduate unemployment rates are hovering at nearly twice the national average, with four in 10 graduates forced into unwanted, low paid, menial jobs that a degree is not needed for.

Vocational qualifications can teach specialist skills, provide work placements and provide an alternative route to traditional education, with 75% of parents viewing job-specific qualifications as more recession-proof than degrees.

Britain boasts a range of celebrated chefs, including Gizzi Erskine, Matt Tebbutt and Lorraine Pascal, all of which chose to study a vocational course in cookery rather than go down the more conventional education route. Becoming a chef offers the advantage of being able to work anywhere, flexible working hours and the ability to be truly creative within a career.

. Introduction:

This week sees Universities Week begin, but as youth and graduate unemployment rises, vocational courses and options are becoming more and more appealing to people who want to move away from traditional education. Successful and celebrity chefs, such as Gizzi Erskine and Matt Tebbutt, have all chosen a less conventional route that has bought them buckets of success in a specialist field.

So, are vocational courses the more viable option in the current climate?

Joining us to discuss this further is Camilla Schneideman, Managing Director for Leiths Food and Wine School.

. Suggested Questions:

What is the importance of having some form of professional qualification and what does the research reveal about young Brits in our area?

What are the benefits of a vocational course?

Why do you think youths are turning to vocational courses – is it to do with the current climate?

Why is a cookery course, in particular, worth studying?

Where could someone expect to find themselves in five years after completing a cookery course?

Where can we find more information?