This generation

[Colburn_Claret]

I've met William Shatner if that helps me qualify for the job..

Can you say 'beam me up Scotty', you're in.

[Volvoclaret]

Can you say 'beam me up Scotty', you're in.

I canna captain, the engines wont take it.

[rob63]

Boris Johnson studied Classics at Oxford university.

Can someone tell me why that's anymore worthwhile than some of those on the list?

Boris Johnson? Are you using him as an example of someone who has landed his dream job despite studying a non-mainstream degree at university

or.......

As above but not seeming to have given him the background to prevent him looking out of his depth in said job?

[dougcollins]

If he can tell Scylla from Charybdis I'm fine with him governing our country.

[UnderSeige]

The Zero Hours Contracts Generation
One of the aspects of this generation is that many find themselves shuffled into low paid, short term and zero hours contracts jobs. This is true even amongst graduates - especially so in the soft option degrees such as the 'Creative arts'. Whilst there is (or more likely was) plenty of work in the sector much of this is for short term contracts.

Many Creative Arts graduates work part time in their degree subject from short term working contracts whilst working in non professional sectors such as the hospitality industry in order to supplement their income.

Creative arts graduates are the lowest-paid in Britain, survey finds
Creative arts grads' pay is no more than school-leavers', as equality campaigners criticise ongoing gender pay gap
https://www.independent.co.uk/student/s ... 83846.html

Full time Employment Rate 6 months after graduation

Fine Art 36.4%
Design 56.8%
Media Studies 50.8%
Performing Arts 41.8%
Creative arts graduates are commonly in a variety of jobs, often related to their degree on a part-time or freelance basis, as well as having employment elsewhere in order to secure a steady income. This approach to employment is referred to as having a 'portfolio career'.

Twice the number of creative arts graduates reported that they are working part time compared with graduates from other disciplines, with those from fine art having the highest percentage of graduates working part time at 28.8%.

Due to the nature of their portfolio-style working life, they may have answered the survey with their steady income in mind as opposed to their creative endeavours, and often their steady income will come from employment not considered as being at a professional levelhttps://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-d ... aduates-do

'Zero hours contracts', 'low pay' and 'insecure employment' is the scourge of many of this generation. It also makes many uncreditworthy. Following the COVID disruptions to the economy (and especially the discretionary sector) we will need many 'creditworthy individuals' to create the demand within the economy that will provide the growth needed to get out of this economic mess that we have landed in. The more 'creditworthy individuals' the greater the growth - it's the key to most economic growth - the second being productivity.

COVID-19 has hit the 'discretionary sector' harder than any other. The very sector that many of this generation rely on to make a living.

Now that brilliant people such as Nigel Farage, Borris Johnson and Dominic Cummings (screech!) have managed to unshackle us from the European Union the parties in power, over the next decade, have the freedom to shape industrial and educational policy to give this generation a more secure and prosperous economic future.

We need industrial and commercial policies to ensure that there is more high quality job opportunities in the UK. Government procurement policies, tax incentives, employment policies will all play a role. Many organisations design products in the UK and then have them manufactured overseas (pharmaceuticals, clothing, footwear and many others).

We need incentives to businesses to manufacture the products that they design in the UK here in the UK with the Universities playing a key role in research and design. However, this needs to be in tandem with skill requirements from the education system.

The education system needs to provide quality technical skills for the non graduate and graduates of high calibre in the areas of skill requirements. Funding should be directed to the more difficult, but more rewarding sectors of the education system such as engineering, medicine, geology, and such. If people want to take soft option degrees let them pay full price at non subsidised educational establishments.

The government could also use this to address matters of 'racial inequality' in education and industry. In my experience as a Chartered Professional in the IT Industry in West Yorkshire I worked with several people from the Asian community who put my own skills to shame. Government could award full maintenance grants (tuition fees paid for) to members of the the BAME community who show exceptional promise in the fields of education for which technical and scientific skills will be required.

The education system also needs to play a huge role in research and development. Covid has resulted in a start to this. Particularly in the pharmaceutical industry.

I think that this generation deserves better, but needs to work harder and smarter.

This is the last post that I will make on this forum. I have been spending far too much time on it. Good luck to all of you.