The tragedy as we see it is that there are plenty of young people out there who will drop in or respond to our adverts for work but a vast majority are unprepared for the 'big wide world' and to do an honest day's work for a wage. To blame the government is not appropriate.

As I see it, the whole youth culture has been born out of a changed society where youngsters are buried in their mobiles, games consoles and other non-empathic pastimes. There needs to be a huge re-education where individuals are employed to pull them out of this antisocial and damaging rut by helping them realise their unique potential. Perhaps this would be primarily rolled out by re-educating the people at the top like Michael Gove.

The message to the youngsters is simple, work=money and money=freedom of choice! If this is to work however, a big rethink of how kids are taught in school and prepped for the workplace needs to happen. In addition, parents need to understand that their precious little ones will simply rot on the scrapheap if they don't take the bull by the horns and instil some good old fashioned values.

This issue is a tragedy but one that requires a root and branch rethink. From schooling and parenting to employers altering their perception of the younger worker/applicant, our nation needs to embrace this neglected portion of society or the future will see GB plc lag behind through a shortage of indigenous skills.

Youth unemployment hasn't happened overnight! Without doubt the decline in educational standards, successive Governments and their cockeyed ideas, dumbing down of qualifications and educational establishments, the demise of the conventional Apprentice scheme where one chose a career option from school and became an Apprentice that resulted in a trade after 3 years for those of us who were non academic are all contributors to the current situation.

Once again Nick Clegg, as with just about every other politician, has missed the point. The fact is that there are more and more young people being churned out from the education system completely ill equipped to work in todays market place. There are jobs there but employers are looking for skills (some of them very basic like reading and writing) that are just not available and many of the youngsters have been let down by the education system itself and the Governments of today and past have to own up to being responsible.