With the UK experiencing record youth unemployment rates, some are questioning whether the government should take a page out of the book of other European countries, like Austria and Germany, that have effectively solved youth unemployment problems. The UK’s record high unemployment rate is now above 23 percent, while Austria maintains a low youth unemployment rate of only 8.3 percent, and Germany maintains a rate of 8.9 percent.
The main differences between the UK and other countries that have had success in employing large numbers of young people lies within the educational system and opportunities being offered by employers. In Austria, the country that consistently maintains the lowest youth unemployment rates, approximately 40 percent of students participate in a work-based apprenticeship, 40 percent attend vocational colleges, and only 20 percent take an ordinary academic route in conventional schools.
These statistics show an undeniable correlation between vocational/work-based practical learning and a large number of young people having the ability to compete within the workforce. Allowing the youth to develop usable skills that can improve their ability to be hired in an open market may be the key to fixing the UK’s startlingly high youth unemployment rates. However, education is only one half of the solution, as companies need to begin offering more apprenticeships to give young people the opportunity to learn with hands-on experience in the field.
Surprisingly, in the UK there are only 11 apprenticeships per 1000 employees, while there are more than 30 per 1000 in Austria, and 40 per 1000 in Germany. This indicates that a simple change in education would not be enough to solve the youth unemployment problem, as companies need to become open to apprenticeships and more willing to give young adults the chance to prove themselves and gain experience in practical situations.
