However recognising your weaknesses and being able to do something about them is the other half of that battle
Posted in General on 24. Aug, 2010
However, recognising your weaknesses and being able to do something about them is the other half of that battle.Is there anything you know now that you wish you’d known then?When you come to those crossroads in your career, it would be great to know you’re making the right decision.. Working teenagers are in good company: George Michael was a builder, William Hague was a delivery boy for a drinks company, and Kate Winslet sliced meat and cheese in a north London deli. Today, two million 10- to 16-year-olds in the UK have a part-time job, according to research by Abbey National. However, the study found that the monitoring and regulation of child labour in the UK is appalling, leaving young employees at a greater risk of being exploited than any other working group.
Working teenagers are in good company: George Michael was a builder, William Hague was a delivery boy for a drinks company, and Kate Winslet sliced meat and cheese in a north London deli. Today, two million 10- to 16-year-olds in the UK have a part-time job, according to research by Abbey National. However, the study found that the monitoring and regulation of child labour in the UK is appalling, leaving young employees at a greater risk of being exploited than any other working group.
Even so, those who have had jobs while at school seem better prepared for full-time employment. Historically, child employment in this country has been considered at best trivial, and at worst a distraction from education But its growth has led employers to recognise the benefits.
Commercial acumen and work experience are both attributes that have traditionally been lacking in school-leavers. This is no longer the case.HSBC has a SchoolBranch scheme whereby pupils run mini branches with the help of a teacher. The scheme is designed to provide young people with an understanding of finance and an insight into the working world. HSBC has 1,350 SchoolBranches across Britain.”The certificates we provide to under 18-year-olds who have worked part-time in our SchoolBranches are recognised as valuable by potential employers,” says Anne Lowe, co-ordinator of the branches across Birmingham.Jessica Ivory, 18, was accepted as a management trainee in HSBC as a direct result of her part-time job. “The work involved in running a SchoolBranch includes marketing, managing and finance, as well as teamwork and time management. If you can prove that you have skills in those areas, even before leaving school, you increase your chances of getting a good job.”Jim McKechnie, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Paisley, has studied child labour for the past 10 years. He says the increased employability of school leavers isn’t the only advantage.