Exiled down south wrote:
Opportunity for all has never been greater. In the past it was school 'til 16 then work in the local industry. Now kids stay on 'til they are 18 and have the opportunity to go to uni. Yes there is a fee but you don't pay it back until you earn X. That didn't exist in the 80's. In this era you can reinvent yourself at an age. The opportunities are out there it just takes motivation. Unfortunately responses like yours just smell of accepted failure, now where is the state to help me. Forget the excuses and get motivated to succeed. The welfare propping up system is gone thankfully.
Last night I was watching some guy on the box talking about how business in some areas are struggling to find the talent for there vacancies. This wasn't just the SE but included the midlands etc It wasn't just tech/engineering companies either, he mentioned plenty of blue collar work.
That's the problem - used to be that non-academically minded folk could leave school, knowing that they could walk into a job in the factory/pit/steelworks and have a job for life, promotion pretty much nailed on based on years of service rather than merit and strong union representation.
Contrast that to today and these low skilled jobs are now in warehousing and distribution etc. A vast majority hire using agencies or on 0 hours contracts, which give you very little security. Add in the unions destroyed by thatcher and there is very little security for people to build their stall on. Again if you find yourself without work, you face a 6 week wait for any income from the state, leading to rent arrears, missed bill payments etc.
You can have all the motivation you want, but if you are struggling to meet your basic needs, then that leaves little room for upskilling, retraining etc. Giving a bit back (eg free school meals for kids, £10 min wage) will give a bit of breathing room for people to grow and focus on other things than immediate survival.