Do the best you can.....your job might depend on it!

As a Business Studies teacher, it is with mixed feelings that I read the daily news about the economy. On one side, it is great as it brings the world of business onto the front page and a year ago, some of the discussions we have in the classroom wouldn't be possible. On the other side, it is a shame that everything we talk about seems to be negative - people losing their jobs and businesses going bust. 

However, a story that appeared on the front of the Guardian yesterday really brought things home to me as a teacher of young people. The Government are so worried about 2009 university graduates getting a job that they are considering offering short internship schemes to give them experience on a reduced wage. Barclays and Microsoft have reportedly agreed to take part in what has been called the National Internship Scheme. The goal is that the scheme will give graduates a chance to develop their skills and show employers what they can do. The government are concerned about the effects the recession will have on the 18-24 year old age group and are desperate to prevent young people experiencing long periods of unemployment.

Evidence of the effect of the downturn on graduate recruitment includes:

• Major companies have narrowed their search for graduates to five elite universities as they cut recruitment numbers.
  
• The organisers of the annual graduate recruitment "milk round" say jobs in finance and retail are drying up.
  
• The management consultancy KPMG, seen as a recruitment barometer, says its 600 graduate entry jobs are nearly all taken months ahead of schedule as students scramble for the top jobs
  
• Careers service managers have been inundated with desperate students who don't know what to do when they graduate because their plans are in tatters.
  

A further worry is that the slump in graduate jobs threatens unemployment for people with lower or no qualifications as graduates turn their sights on non-graduate vacancies. 

Anyone paying any attention to the worsening financial situation needs to understand that the days of easy employment could be over for a few years. The importance of gaining qualifications and developing yourself as a person is vital to give yourself the best possible opportunity of getting a job.