Youth unemployment

My younger readers won't perhaps be aware that we've been here before: the present situation is a repeat of the early eighties (heard of the YOP scheme) and again of the late eighties.

I was building a joinery business through those years, and while skilled labour was increasingly hard to find, the growing pool of unemployed youth was becoming increasingly hard to employ. Why was that?

1. Bad attitude was all too common. Resentful and truculent is never good, especially when you want a job. Attacking your employer (physically or verbally) does not go far in securing your employment.
2. Lack of ambition. All too often the ONLY thing in these lads minds was "football".
3. Too high in expectations.
It was so sad to see these young men, the flower of our nation, desperate for jobs, but virtually unskilled despite years of useless government courses one after the other, expecting the wages of a skilled man. The competitive demands of the business made it impossible to accede to their demands.

Perhaps one in twenty, when asked "where do you want to be in five years time" would point to one of the skilled machinists and say "I want his job". Needless to say, these were the ones who got the job, and invariable made a success of it.
Those days were HARD for anyone in industry, as our government was intent on exporting jobs. We said so at the time, but no one was listening. Now, everyone recognises the folly. 
Guess what! We told 'em so.

I have to do some work now, but I have more to write on this subject.