Views on Making Experience Work

In spite of its enthusiasm for cuts in public spending and social provision, the government has not yet wielded the axe to lop off significant sums from the MSC Youth Opportunity Programme (YOP) for the young unemployed. The reason is all too clear. There is every prospect that even more school‐leavers will soon find themselves on the scrap‐heap of rejects before ever being allowed to participate in purposeful employment. No government can contemplate such a scene without appearing to react, if only because of its possible explosive social and political consequences. Hence, this administration (like that in many other countries) continues to sanction various schemes designed to provide young unemployed with some positive form of work experience, even while they cannot find paid employment. Nearly 100,000 youngsters were involved last year.