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| Election Focus Getting to work on a lost generation They pay no taxes, cost the country millions in maintenance and most are unlikely to vote in three weeks' time. Disaffected, disenfranchised and disengaged, they are the so-called "Neet" generation. As a constituency, they are perhaps the most politically apathetic section of the electorate, and one of the most marginalised. They are largely ignored in their daily lives, and could easily be so by politicians as well, wielding as they do such limited influence. Yet the way they lead their lives, and in particular the impact of their behaviour on those who do vote, is occupying politicians of all parties. Dehumanised by an ugly acronym that Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish businessman and philanthropist, finds "horrible", and grossly caricatured as hoodie-wearing, Asbo-dodging idlers, they are forced to exist on the fringes, both economically and socially. They are perceived as failures, as problems that need to be fixed, and their individuality is denied by an indiscriminate label. But what is meant by "Neet", which to many is now synonymous with "ned"? It was coined by Whitehall civil servants at the Department for Education and Skills in a document published seven years ago entitled Transforming Youth Work, to categorise those young people "not in education, employment or training". About 15,000 young Scots - a disproportionate number compared to the UK as a whole - are thus classified. Almost 14% of Scottish school leavers are Neets, compared with slightly more than 10% in England. In Glasgow alone, almost one in every five in the age group is a Neet. They are 20 times more likely to commit a crime, and 22 times more likely to be a teenage mum. So, why should we care about a lost generation that contributes nothing while leaning so heavily on the state? "Because we need to care about everyone in our society", according to Professor Andrew Skinner, Scotland's Chief Inspector of Social Work Services from 1992 until 2005. Professor Skinner, who is now an associate consultant with the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing, is uncomfortable with the term Neet. In fact, he would prefer it were not used as it suggests there is a homogeneous horde of young people whose problems are common. "It's not helpful to group young people in this way under such a heading, as they are all individuals," he says. "I think we need to distinguish the different aspects of this experience and determine how best to support young people in meeting the different challenges they face in their lives." While Neet has gained currency as a buzzword and is touted by many as a new phenomena, others believe it is merely an old one repackaged with a new name. They cite terms such as Yopper, used during the 1980s to describe a person employed under Margaret Thatcher's solution to the same problem, the much-maligned Youth Opportunities Programme, as having the same meaning as Neet. But Professor Skinner does not believe in a single problem, and therefore is averse to a single solution. "It really is several different phenomena linked together and it is necessary to separate them out," he says. "Individuals go through their journeys and at different times have different problems, so I do not think it is right to think of these young people as forming a separate group. Nevertheless, we have to address the issue in our communities and our society of childhood in the modern world, and how we help children to flourish throughout their lives so they are real contributors and benefit and do well. "Most of them do, actually. I think young people today are terrific, I think they have fantastic relationships: I am thinking of the inter-generational friendships and cross-gender friendships young people now form. In general, young people in Scotland today are terrific in terms of their contributions and the ways they support and help each other and develop their potential for the future." He adds: "I think there is a danger that we are unfairly demonising young people. We need to be clear about the importance of the early years up to about five and how they then influence life thereafter, and so it is very important that all children have a very positive experience and that they are able to develop their strengths and resilience and capacity for love and engagement. "It has to be about individuals, and be done on a person-by-person basis. People have different issues in terms of their education, their social activities. That is the crux of it." The cost of addressing the myriad of problems and shortcomings that result in so many young people finding themselves detached from the mainstream and drifting is hefty. However, ignoring them could prove more costly. Earlier this week, for the first time, a price tag was put on Scotland's so-called "lost generation", and it wasn't cheap. Academics from the London School of Economics estimate that young jobless people are costing Scotland £1.7bn every year as a result of crime, lost productivity and educational under-achievement. That makes the overall annual cost to the Scottish economy of their idleness, criminality and lost earnings the equivalent of £340 for every man, woman and child in the country. The problem appears mammoth and insurmountable. However, one way of reversing the fortunes of young people that is already showing signs of success is volunteering. Project Scotland, the charity that helps to find volunteering opportunities for young people in the 16 to 25 age group, claims it is enjoying success rates well beyond initial expectations. While 27% of those young people who become involved with the charity are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, fewer than half of them end up back on it afterwards. "We are trying to make volunteering cool," says Derek Scobie, of Project Scotland. "We want to make it acceptable to young people as a means of developing themselves and to do stuff in their local community. Before we were around, charities and not-for-profit organisations found it very difficult to engage young people, and young people saw no reason why they should engage with them." The trick to engaging them, according to Scobie, is to find volunteering placements that young people will not dismiss as drudgery, but instead find interesting. That is easier said than done. He addS: "People from more disadvantaged backgrounds often have the belief that they need a proper job or it's not worthwhile working. Quite often, they won't get off benefits because what they are offered is so paltry." The demise of apprenticeship schemes has had a devastating effect on young people living in areas of Scotland where heavy industry once dominated. Last year there were more than 6000 unfilled hospitality and tourism-related jobs in Glasgow alone, despite more than 100,000 jobless people of working age in the city. For many Scots whose parents or grandparents were skilled workers, working in a hotel or a call centre is not to be considered. There are some quality apprenticeships still available - BAE Systems, the defence contractor that owns the Upper Clyde's two remaining shipyards, has recruited more than 300 in the past few years - but in general they are scarce. The volunteering placements are about instilling discipline and self-control, and are full-time. In return, the volunteers receive a subsistence allowance, a payment of £55 a week, which is £10 more than Jobseeker's Allowance. This is made to ensure that volunteers are not discouraged from participating for fear of losing their income from benefits. Importantly, Project Scotland is not just for the so-called Neets, even though about a third of its volunteers fall into that category. Another third are graduates, and on some projects people from both groups work alongside each other. "Part of that informal mixing is one of the things we are trying to deliver", said Scobie. "Sometimes just taking people out of their regular surroundings is all you need to do to raise their aspirations. If they remain within their own community all the time they can get stuck in a rut." The FiguresScotland's generation of young jobless people costs the country at least £1.7bn each year. This is how it breaks down:
What the parties say
SNP
Conservative
Lib Dem
Green SSP Fund 5000 new apprenticeships. Establish community youth forums to identify what amenities are needed in each local area. Funding to set up local youth facilities in every community, run democratically by young people. Free access to all publicly owned cultural and recreational centres.
Solidarity 12:01am Monday 16th April 2007
  Print  Email this  CommentPosted by: AM, Glasgow on 10:52am Mon 16 Apr 07 Despite the obvious policy variations, all of the parties seem to have a decent grasp of the key issues here. Education - in particular vocational education - is one area where the "talking shop" at Holyrood is forging enough consensus to yield strongly positive results. Posted by: Kate, Paisley on 11:21am Mon 16 Apr 07 TO say that many young people do not take up jobs in the catering/hospitality industry because they feel it degrading is complete nonsense. Many, and I would like to say most, young people of working age who are on benefits are on them because they are too lazy to bother to get a job. But mostly, because the state allows them to continuously claim! As with adults claiming aswell I might add. The 'system' allows them to sponge of hardworking citizens like myself, giving them everything free, instead of giving them an ultimatum of, 'get a job, or get out' ! Stop cushioning them and make them 'obliged' to work. Posted by: Neil, Livingston on 11:44am Mon 16 Apr 07 It's good to see Project Scotland doing a good job. This I'm sure could expand if voluntary organisations didn't have to constantly beg for funding and live with the uncertainty of it continuing. Most importantly, anyone taking part needs to feel a sense of achievement and progression towards real employment. Posted by: john fernie, benbecula on 12:50pm Mon 16 Apr 07 kate the reason that it is hard to get young people into the catering trade is the low wages long hours that is why there are more polish and others working in the trade here .and as someone who has spend 24 years in the trade i have found the collages have dumbed down the catering courses with the svqs to save money which does not help bring back the city and guilds and train the people properly. Posted by: LJPR LEGAL JUDICIAL POLITICAL REFORMERS, west coast on 1:36pm Mon 16 Apr 07 MSP's like LAWYERS are raking in money for doing even less than the kids they condemn.Until Scotland rids itself of the hand picked state lackeys ,that we have little option but to vote for, Scotland will remain deeply divided in both wealth and status. The political and legal mobsters have hijacked Scotlands wealth ensuring they continue a centuries old system of inequality. We should be issuing ASBO's against the mobsters who ask the electorate to vote for them and then like McConnell and his mob completely ignore the genuine and serious concern of the same electorate. Our group have insight more than most to the devious inaction of our political and legal masters who have a HIDDEN agenda. LJPR LEGAL JUDICIAL POLITICAL REFORMERS Posted by: Andy, Glasgow on 2:13pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Kate wrote:Hear! hear! Kate we need to start our own party as there are none who speak for the people who actually go out and work and pay the taxes that these clowns in Holyrood and Westminster spend mollycuddling the 'will neither work nor want brigade'. Posted by: Martin, Edinburgh on 5:31pm Mon 16 Apr 07 They don't work, don't make the most of their free education, don't vote, are mostly anti social... What good are they to our society now or in the future? We are probably paying for their parents benefits and will end up paying for theirs. The whole country needs a shake - from the weak way we deal with prisoners to the way we continually roll over for our scroungers. We have brought this on ourselves. It is time to vote to give Scotland a massive shake! Vote SNP! Posted by: LJPR LEGAL JUDICIAL POLITICAL REFORMERS, west coast on 5:55pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Scroungers SCROUNGERS!!!!!!!! Obviously the propaganda is still working as the BIGGEST drain on Scotlands resources is not the ones at the bottom of the salary (benefit)ladder. It is the ones at the top who get BILLIONS in legal aid to defend serial criminals.Also the massive costs to Scotland to keep a bunch of toe rags in the CONCRETE palace at Holyrood. The enormous cost of that building is in the same leaguet as the massive salaries and expenses a bunch of JOKERS are screwing out of Scotland under the guise of making political decisions that do LITTLE to help the majority of Scots . LJPR LEGAL JUDICIAL POLITICAL REFORMERS Posted by: John Blackley, Austin, TX on 6:56pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Interesting to see the (limited) range of responses to this article. One of the bigger reasons I left Scotland so many years ago (25, to be precise) was the amount spent on 'neets'. I was disgusted that so much of what I earned was spent to keep perfectly able-bodied men and women in a life of idleness. Now it seems as if their children are upholding the families' traditions. There is a certainty that a portion of any society - if given the option - will live an idle life and be a drain on society's resources. This has always been and will always be true. The only variable is how much society as a whole is willing to tolerate that behaviour. By leaving Scotland, I've demonstrated by tolerance for it. If those who remain are not prepared to tolerated it either, there is only one answer. Speak up and act. Posted by: Mary, Port Glasgow on 7:27pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Stephen McCabe, leader of the Labour group on the Inverclyde council, says he will close local non-denominational secondary schools if his party win power at the elections. However, he says Roman Catholic schools will not close irrespective of how empty they are. I find it shocking that the Labour Party can look for the religious vote in this way. In so doing they create a social cancer. They create polarization and distrust. Why should one set of children lose their school whilst another set do not ? Quite simply, Mr. McCabe has one set of criteria for shutting non-denominational schools in Inverclyde but does not apply that criteria to Roman Catholic schools. Mr. McCabe incidentally is from Kilmalcolm. Yes you heard right, Kilmacolm. A Kilmalcolm socialist is surely a pretender in the extreme. I find it vomit inducing that people can discriminate in this way. Posted by: AM, Glasgow on 10:03pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Martin, Edinburgh I'm with you on "they don't work", "anti-social" etc, but in most things the SNP is more left-wing and indulgent of that kind of thing than Labour. I can certainly agree that voting SNP would give us "a massive shake", but not in a good way... much better, I think, to take things steadily and let the parliament do its job without constitutional turmoil distracting from proper decision-making. Posted by: AM, Glasgow on 10:03pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Martin, Edinburgh I'm with you on "they don't work", "anti-social" etc, but in most things the SNP is more left-wing and indulgent of that kind of thing than Labour. I can certainly agree that voting SNP would give us "a massive shake", but not in a good way... much better, I think, to take things steadily and let the parliament do its job without constitutional turmoil distracting from proper decision-making. Posted by: AM, Glasgow on 10:10pm Mon 16 Apr 07 http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/1085/ "...the legality debate is not even a debate about the Iraq war. Rather, it has become a rallying point for anyone with a grievance against Blair, for those more interested in poring over private memos and internal discussions for evidence of duplicity on the part of the Blairites than in challenging Blair for what he did publicly (launch a war against a sovereign state). That is why everyone from former Vulcan bomber fliers to politicians without an ounce of anti-war sentiment to journalists who six years ago were cheering a similarly illegal war now slate Blair over Iraq - not because they oppose Western interventions, but because they are shameless opportunists looking for a quick’n’easy way to have a pop at politicians. In this sense, those challenging Blair over Iraq are, if anything, more despicable than Blair himself. At least he has called for a debate about whether the war was ‘right or wrong’; that would give some of us an opportunity to put the case for why the war was wrong in principle and a disaster in practice. Blair’s opponents, however, are too busy digging for dirt to take part in such a debate." Posted by: AM, Glasgow on 10:12pm Mon 16 Apr 07 Posted by: Mike, edin on 4:10pm Sat 12 May 07 A lost generation of 14%. Christ what has the New Labour Party been doing for glasgow all these 50 years. Get some sense and vote these spongers out.How many young people are going to get shafted before Scotland gets rid of these Anglified Scottish traitors who get to the food trough at their expense. Vote for Scottish Politicians who put the Scottish Nation First. Vote SNP. | 
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