SIR – The recession is damaging the hopes of thousands of young people in Herefordshire who are struggling to find a job.
Now young people in schools could be next in line.
The Prince’s Trust research shows that seven out of 10 secondary school teachers are “increasingly worried”
their pupils will end up on benefits, while 37 per cent feel their efforts are “in vain”.
In Herefordshire, an extra concern is that more than 1,200 pupils are regular absentees.
These young people can fall out of the system because they struggle to keep up, feeling they will never achieve anything.
We know that teachers do all they can to help pupils, but many are telling us they need more support.
At the Prince’s Trust, we run programmes with teachers to help young people who are struggling, preventing exclusions, improving grades and giving them the skills they need to find a job in the future.
Government, charities and employers must work with schools now to support vulnerable young people.
If we don’t, we risk seeing a generation of young adults joining the dole queue.
PAUL BEESLEY
Regional director of the Prince’s Trust, West Midlands
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