Partner Article

Teens are ?bovvered' about careers

Teenagers suffer from a bad reputation when it comes to work. Nearly three-quarters of adults think they worked harder in their youth than today’s teens and over a third believe most teenagers will only work reluctantly, doing the bare minimum to get by.

But a new poll of 15-19 year olds by the Department for Work and Pensions suggests that, unlike the Catherine Tate caricature Lauren Cooper, the average teenager is indeed “bovvered” about getting a job and welcomes the challenges and rewards of work.

Nearly 9 in 10 teenagers were confident about finding a job, even in the current economic downturn, and more than half rejected the idea of signing on. The majority (69%) took the view that people claiming benefits should do all they possibly can to get back into work - and only 6% thought jobless people should be able to do as they liked.

Tim Campbell, first series winner of The Apprentice who went on to set up the Bright Ideas Trust for young entrepreneurs, said: “We need to make sure young people aren’t written off by employers before they get a chance to prove themselves. “Young people can bring the fresh thinking and enthusiasm to a business that can really help it thrive and in my view that’s a great return on a little investment.”

Susan Anderson, Director of Education and Skills at the CBI, said: “Business knows it has a role to play in providing high quality work experience and our surveys show that 90% of young people really enjoy their work experience. Young people who have a positive attitude to work and who develop these vital skills will succeed in work and life.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .