Nowadays, it is thought that most school leavers are unemployed due to their lack of work experience and the development of new technologies that could replace them. Do you think they should be forced to do unpaid work if no paid jobs are available? 

At first sight, forcing leavers to do unpaid work if no paid jobs are available could give young people the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a wide variety of sectors, even the ones they are not interested in. Furthermore, it could be a great chance for trainees to discover their passion and step out of their comfort zone.

Additionally, it would benefit society if more young people worked for the local community while they are out of work. Likewise, it would help them to gain a sense of purpose and belonging, as they could meet a lot of people while they are contributing to the community. Such a scheme would build confidence in young people who otherwise be idle. 

Nonetheless, as leavers don’t have a permanent job and need to make a living, companies might exploit them as a cheap source of labour. A survey conducted by the International University shows that more than 42% of company directors engage in exploitative practices, cutting costs on salaries by using unpaid workers. As far as I am concerned, if a company requires workers, they should be prepared to pay for someone’s labour, as they also need money to cover their own expenses. 

Should we expect college or school leavers to do unpaid work if no paid jobs are available or should we consider this a form of exploitation? I would suggest that these jobs should be a chance for school leavers to gain valuable work experience voluntarily without being taken advantage of. 

Marina Chamorro – 1ºBTO