Exam results are coming out – but what of the future? The social contract with the young has been broken. By that I mean – work hard at school and get good results, then go to Uni or College and get good qualifications; then get a relevant job and progress to purchasing a property; then a family with quality leisure time. What we have now is millionaires creaming off fat salaries whilst students scramble for the pickings at the internship table, or debate whether it is worth the effort to get a minimum wage job.
Exam boards will inflate passes to keep the fees coming in, as will universities and colleges. 55 years ago I got my A level results D,E,U. and was able to get a job at a bank in the City no problem. Bored with that I changed tack to trainee solicitor – no problem. Not suited to that I ran away to `cornwall and beach jobs, and then got to do Teacher Training with a grant, not a debt.
And the incentive for todays youth is – a hefty debt, lack of job opportunities – low wages, never ending debt due to high rents, lack of real opportunities. My advice to my grandchildren would be ….. actually I am not sure? Travel would be a definite. Then learn a skill, arts and crafts will always be needed, computing possibly. Do a shit job so they know what to avoid! (and save the money for travel). Hospitality jobs can be fun, but are generally poorly paid. As my friend Andy said this morning we need to tax the assets of the rich. Bring back grants for training and apprenticeships. Labour said they would introduce public speaking confidence into the curriculum – about time too!
With google it has become imperiative to increasing stuents ability to process and analyse and become discerning when viewing the internet. Learning facts has not become obsolete with Google, just not so necessary. Exam boards should note this difference.
This brings me on to – well society. In the past a society had a shared experience – whether was, or just common knowledge and events. This is no longer true. Do we need to build a common experience for all. I am not sure – common experience would breed nationalism – usually bad.
basically we need a vision of the future which is positive and hopeful for all our children.