Another week gone by and it started with some mixed news from Government figures, which showed that the number of applications for apprenticeships is huge - 788,640 people applying for apprenticeships, but that the number of apprenticeship starts was only 86,700. So what the heck is going on? You might well ask. Quite simply it seems that not enough is being done to encourage businesses to provide apprenticeships. It's the age-old issue - just as young people come to understand the amazing route that an apprenticeship gives, the number on offer starts to dry up. It also means that if you're applying for an apprenticeship you have to make sure that you take the application really seriously (get all the application help you could ever need here) - competition has never been higher for those roles that do exist.
Next up we realised just how depressing it is to be a NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). The BBC reported on a survey which suggested that a third of young people who are NEET never even leave the house. Currently, there are around 900,000 people who classify as NEET, of those one third suffer from depression and 39% suffer from stress.
There has never been a clearer picture of the effects of the pressure put on young people. We know we bang this drum a lot but it really does make you wonder that so much emphasis is put on herding people into uni, when it's just not right for everyone! Excuse us while we mutter angrily into our beards. To finish, how about some good news? Our pal Suli Breaks has got a new video out called Parents Are The Hardest People To Please. Take a watch and tell us that it doesn't have you nodding like the Churchill Dog.
