The UK boss of Amazon has pushed for mandatory work experience for teenagers amid a ‘national crisis’ of youth unemployment.
John Boumphrey, who oversees the online giant’s 75,000 British workers, said it was unfair to paint them as work-shy and the education system was not ‘producing young people who are ready for work.’
His remarks come as the level of joblessness for 16 to 24-year-olds hit an 11-year high of 16.2 per cent in the first three months of the year.
‘It’s not a motivation problem – it’s a system problem, and that requires a system response,’ he told the BBC’s Today programme.
Even just one week of work experience can be a ‘transformative’ experience for young people, says Amazon’s UK boss John Boumphrey (pictured)
Work experience should be made compulsory for those over 16, to ensure they were ready for the working world, he said, adding that local colleges and governments should work together to understand how to train young people and organise opportunities for placements.
Even just one week of work experience can be a ‘transformative’ experience for young people, Mr Boumphrey said.
‘They understand the value of teamwork, communication, problem solving – things that we don’t teach in our curriculum but all employers are looking for.’
Many business chiefs have complained that increases to their costs, including minimum wages and contributions to National Insurance, have made it harder for them to hire young workers over the past few years.
