Taxpayers are to fund gap years for graduates to keep them off the dole queue, The Times has learnt.

 

Hundreds of university leavers will get public money from Lord Mandelson’s department to help them to travel to places such as Costa Rica, Borneo and India.

 

The class of 2009 — the first to pay top-up fees — faces becoming the “lost generation” in a graduate job market that has shrunk by 20 per cent in the past year.

 

The number of graduates who are unemployed six months after leaving university has reached its highest level since records began, with one in ten not in jobs or further study. Careers experts say that 80,000 will hunt in vain for work this summer.

 

A surge in the number of applicants for university — up 10 per cent on last year — means that the situation for this year’s graduates is expected to worsen. Rising numbers will be graduating every summer, adding to the competition for jobs. Critics said that the Government was “bribing” graduates to go on gap years in order to massage unemployment figures.

 

The first university leavers to take part in the scheme will spend the months up to Christmas living in remote communities and going on expeditions in projects that usually cost £3,000 per person.

 

The advertisement for participants asks: “Have you recently graduated and feel like everything is all doom and gloom?” Joining an overseas expedition “could be just the thing you need to inject some excitement and optimism into your life”. The expedition would “boost your employability skills and help set you apart from the crowd”.

 

The graduates, who must be under 24, will help to build schools and to improve sanitation. They will spend time learning skills that the Government and Raleigh, the gap year company running the programme, say will help them to find jobs when they return to Britain.

 

The TaxPayers’ Alliance reacted with anger to the initiative. Matthew Sinclair, its research director, said: “The Government’s attempts to keep people off the unemployment numbers at any cost are growing more and more transparent.

 

“It’s increasingly clear that whether it’s soft jobs in the public sector or paying for gap years, the important thing is masking the problems in the economy rather than actually delivering value for taxpayers’ money.” Gap years should be paid for by the travellers or their parents, he added. “This kind of charity, paid for out of the taxpayer’s pocket, is unfair and unsustainable.”

 

Alan Smithers, director of education and employment research at the University of Buckingham, said: “The Government doesn’t want to make available thousands of extra places at university, but is funding gap years. It’s really an extraordinary waste of money, just to bring down young people’s unemployment figures. The Government would be better off creating places in education, so young people can develop employable skills for when the economy picks up, instead of having to bribe people to go on gap years.” But David Lammy, the Universities Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said that volunteering was particularly beneficial for new graduates. “It can help to develop the communication and leadership skills that are so highly valued in the workplace.”

 

The project is being openly billed as a way for graduates “struggling to find work” to develop “soft skills their CV might lack”. The scheme promises to teach teamwork, leadership, project management and problem-solving.

 

The Government will provide £500,000 for 500 young people to go on the trips and this may be extended in future. Raleigh, with which Prince William travelled during his year out, says that 72 per cent of the money raised goes towards expeditions. This includes staff, accommodation, transport, safety equipment, food, training and medical care. The rest is spent on fundraising, marketing, head office and governance.

 

This summer 300,000 students graduated, the largest group to finish higher education in Britain. They are the first to leave university with debts of £15,000 to £20,000. Graduate debt is at its highest level at £26 billion, compared with £18 billion in 2007.

 

Source: Sunday Times

 

Is this a good use of taxpayers cash, or just a way of masking the real unemployment figures before the election?

Well it's both, if these people aren't going to be able get jobs anyway then they'll still be living off the taxpayer as their income will be what benefits they can get. At least if they take gap years they can do something of use in other countries, giving them a better chance of earning a living, a greater chance of learning & improving skills and a greater chance for some of them to live abroard, giving them a potentiall 'better life', cutting the population of this country and reducing the amount of people on benefits long term.

 

By giving these people something to do the chances of them joining this countries benefit classes reduce too, the more people that are prevented joining that the better, it's big enough as it is!

Speaking as a taxpayer I'd rather pay for students to go out into the world, see things, experience things, experience life , and maybe do something constructive for poor communities in the third world, than pay a bunch of bone idle b'astards who scrounge their entire existences, drop litters of feral brats and contribute nothing to society but crime statistics..... <_< Yeah, it might massage the unemployment figures, but let's face, most people are savvy enough to actually know that this goes on anyway on a daily basis....

 

(inter)National Servive.... Yes, as an idea, it appeals.... :)

Speaking as a taxpayer I'd rather pay for students to go out into the world, see things, experience things, experience life , and maybe do something constructive for poor communities in the third world, than pay a bunch of bone idle b'astards who scrounge their entire existences, drop litters of feral brats and contribute nothing to society but crime statistics..... <_< Yeah, it might massage the unemployment figures, but let's face, most people are savvy enough to actually know that this goes on anyway on a daily basis....

 

(inter)National Servive.... Yes, as an idea, it appeals.... :)

 

full agreement!

It's pretty much the equivalent of the dole and certainly more appealing than doing similar mundane tasks in the community here.

 

I had to work abroad for a year mid-way through my degree course and I've always been grateful that I had that experience. I came home much more independent, confident and articulate and better able to get along with others in both work and social situations.

It's pretty much the equivalent of the dole and certainly more appealing than doing similar mundane tasks in the community here.

 

I had to work abroad for a year mid-way through my degree course and I've always been grateful that I had that experience. I came home much more independent, confident and articulate and better able to get along with others in both work and social situations.

 

Where did you go ^^?

Why can't they save up to pay themselves to go around the world? I've just taken a gap year out before i start uni, spent hours slaving away for a trip of a life time. I might not of done the volunteer work but i'm hoping the money i spent whilst in South America went towards helping the local economies and businesses.

I'm going to come across as a nationalistic twat here but hey. Why are we giving them money to go on holiday abroad to do this? If they need to drum up work experience whilst they're not in work, why not provide them incentives to perform voluntary work HERE?

It just seems to me that more could be gained from these funds if we're not having to shell out loads just on plane flights and hotels just to even get these graduates there.

Why can't they save up to pay themselves to go around the world? I've just taken a gap year out before i start uni, spent hours slaving away for a trip of a life time.

 

 

Agreed. This actually makes my blood boil. Why should the British Taxpayer fund their gap-year trips abroad? They should have money saved from Saturday jobs or other work. If they haven't and no private means then they shouldn't go. :rolleyes: This country gets worse. :angry:

Edited September 7, 200915 yr by Crazy Chris

So paying people to get some extremely valuable life experience as well as building up many types of skills is a worse decision that using the SAME MONEY to pay them dole which does nothing but encourages their laziness? Becuase that's what it would be used for otherwise. Personally, I'd love to do something like this and if it's part Government funded then even better. Surely it's a function of Government.... to give the young people of a country the best possible chance of becoming a success?

Agreed. This actually makes my blood boil. Why should the British Taxpayer fund their gap-year trips abroad? They should have money saved from Saturday jobs or other work. If they haven't and no private means then they shouldn't go. :rolleyes: This country gets worse. :angry:

 

Why should the British taxpayer fund you ?

 

At least the graduates will get jobs and pay taxes and CONTRIBUTE to society

 

 

Agreed. This actually makes my blood boil. Why should the British Taxpayer fund their gap-year trips abroad? They should have money saved from Saturday jobs or other work. If they haven't and no private means then they shouldn't go. :rolleyes: This country gets worse. :angry:

so why exactly do we fund your lifestyle?

Agreed. This actually makes my blood boil. Why should the British Taxpayer fund their gap-year trips abroad? They should have money saved from Saturday jobs or other work. If they haven't and no private means then they shouldn't go. :rolleyes: This country gets worse. :angry:

 

why respond to this troll who has been searching around all day waiting for an opportunity to post someting contraversial?

I'm sure I posted after Rob in here yesterday morning but my post seems to have vanished. :( :(

Edited September 9, 200915 yr by Crazy Chris

I'm sure I posted after Rob in here yesterday morning but my post seems to have vanished. :( :(

 

i told you ill delete any nonsense, one line replies that dont further debate... yours dont.

Well your one-line post above calling me a troll needs deleting then as that hardly furthers debate!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Well it does, it keeps people on topic rather then them dwelling on what a pathetic scrounger you are :)

So will this be means tested then? Suppose if they're from poor families a little help may be okay but what if a millionaire's son applies? It's like Child Benefit. My wife's rich employers get it but they're multi-millionaires. :angry: My late uncle was a good example. He refused his State pension at 65, never claimed it as he said he didn't need it!! His wife and son disagreed but he wouldn't claim it as he was a former Tax Inspector so had a good Civil Service pension.

Edited September 9, 200915 yr by Crazy Chris

Agreed. This actually makes my blood boil. Why should the British Taxpayer fund their gap-year trips abroad? They should have money saved from Saturday jobs or other work. If they haven't and no private means then they shouldn't go. :rolleyes: This country gets worse. :angry:

 

You've got some front saying this sh!t..... <_<

 

 

 

My late uncle was a good example. He refused his State pension at 65, never claimed it as he said he didn't need it!! His wife and son disagreed but he wouldn't claim it as he was a former Tax Inspector so had a good Civil Service pension.

 

Well he sounds like a decent chap, pity about his nephew.

I'm already planning my gap year even though I'm only in year 11 :kink: But my parents have agreed to help out with funding it, so I won't need the taxpayers :P