Forces for school leavers without a path

Madam, – In reference to your article “Let jobless pick fruit, say worried farmers” (Courier, April 29).

One of the big problems we have is that many of the people this article refers to shouldn’t be on benefits in the first place.

Unemployment benefits were introduced as a life raft, but it has now become a way of life for many people.

When my generation left school in the ’50s no one considered registering for unemployment benefit as it was a black mark.

In the ’70s I recall a colleague bragging that she’d insisted her son sign up for benefits immediately.

Another colleague had a daughter who didn’t know what she wanted to do after she had left school.

He used to pass her in the morning on his way to work – she was just arriving home from clubbing all night.

How she ever thought that she could find work I have no idea.

Now we have an ex-government minister suggesting that everyone over 50 should pay a surcharge to subsidise the benefits system.

What we need to do is make school leavers who do not have a job, a placement in training or further education within three months of leaving school, join the armed services.

All of the armed services are understaffed and it must be more cost-effective to have unemployed school leavers in the forces than pay them to sit at home doing nothing.

I am not suggesting that we regurgitate national service.

I would like to see them fully integrated into the training regimes on offer, where they will learn proper skills that will benefit them on discharge.

Most of all they will have discipline that will ensure they get out of bed in the morning if nothing else.

Adam Johnston. Gauldry,

Fife.