George Eustice MP was interviewed By Jeremy Vine on his Radio 2 show this lunch time on the Government's programmes to get young people into work.
Writing after the interview, George commented, "Work is learnt at a young age. That is why I am a supporter of the scheme the government has announced to give young people leaving school some experience of a working environment. I think it is a betrayal of the interests of those young people that some hard left pressure groups have sought to intimidate companies who are participating in a scheme that is ultimately about offering a helping hand to the next generation.
The idea is very simple. It’s a voluntary scheme to help teenagers get some experience of work. They would be able to try a placement for a few days and then, if they liked it, commit to doing a further four weeks unpaid work experience there with some training. The allegation by the Socialist Workers Party that this is tantamount “slave labour” is absolute rubbish. The companies involved would actually be spending time and money taking young people under their wing for a few weeks and giving them a break in life. It was a good thing for them to have agreed to do and they should have been commended for it, not vilified.
Some said it was wrong to insist on a commitment for four weeks after the initial trial period of a few days but one of the things about joining a workplace is that it is a commitment. You need people to turn up in the morning, learn to be relied upon and become part of the team. If the idea of the scheme is to prepare young people for work, then commitment is one of the things they should learn.2
To listen to the interview click here.