One in four from poorer backgrounds think they won’t get a good job
Almost one in three young Scots rarely or never feel optimistic about the future, according to a major youth organisation.
Researchers commissioned by the Prince’s Trust Scotland found that 30% of children and young people had a bleak outlook on life with more than a quarter from a poorer background adding that people like them do not get good jobs.
The charity, which commissioned the YouGov research to mark its 40th anniversary, said it found a clear correlation between social background and life chances.
While 20% of all young people found some work experience through their parents, only 10% of young people from a poorer background said they did.
Almost half (44%) of young people from poorer backgrounds said they didn’t know anyone who could help them find a job, compared to 26% of their more advantaged peers.
All too often young people are locked out of jobs and other opportunities simply because of where they’ve started in life.
Just more than one in three Scots told researchers that they didn’t have any work experience opportunities when they left school and 46% said they had no support from anyone when searching for a job.
Young people from poorer backgrounds are also less likely than their more affluent peers to have had help writing a CV, filling out a job application, preparing for an interview.
Allan Watt, Prince’s Trust Scotland, director said the research highlighted that more still needs to help disadvantaged young people in particular to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
“Over the last 40 years, The Prince’s Trust has provided an alternative support network for over 150,000 young people in Scotland who may not have had the family help needed to achieve success,” he said.
“There is a social bank of mum and dad which can open as many doors as the financial bank of mum and dad. Sadly, not all young people have the same access to it, and all too often young people are locked out of jobs and other opportunities simply because of where they’ve started in life.
“This year we will support 10,000 young Scots across the country, and three in four of the young people we help move into work, education or training, helping to build their self-esteem and break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.”
Across the UK, The Prince’s Trust has helped 825,000 young people across the UK since it was founded in 1976.
The trust estimates that over the last 10 years its social impact has been worth £1.4 billion to society.
Independent researchers NEF Consulting reached the figure by attributing a worth to the number of people the trust has helped get into jobs, the amount of offending or re-offending it has reduced, and the positive knock-on effect of helping young people on their parents and carers among others.
