This will be a lifeline in our struggle for work... we just want to be treated as adults

Londoners have overwhelmingly supported the Standard’s Ladder for London campaign and called on businesses and employers to give the unemployed a chance to prove themselves.

Danny Passam, 17, from Hackney said today he hoped the campaign would be his “lifeline” to reaching his dream job.

He said: “I left college after I got my NVQ level two in mechanics because I wanted to get my level three while I was working and I get the experience.

“I have been asking at all the big firms, but they are all saying no because of my low GCSEs.

“If I got on your apprenticeship scheme it would be like a lifeline for me.

“I found it difficult in the classroom. There was a lot of pressure to sit in the same place for nine hours a day. I think people like me want to be part of an apprenticeship scheme because it is a whole different atmosphere than it is in school, and a lot of young people will prefer to be treated like an adult. There needs to be a lot more opportunities because there are not a lot at the moment. A lot of apprenticeships are looking for older people as well. What about the people from 16 to 18?

“Two of my friends have just come off an IT apprenticeship, and one of them has just got a permanent job from it.” He added: “I have had to begin working as a bike courier. I love cycling, but it is such a dangerous job.

“I want to be a mechanic, that is what I love to do. I don’t want to be on the roads 10 hours a day risking my life.”

Tolga Yilmaz, 18, from Hackney, said getting an apprenticeship would help his friends “build their lives”.

Speaking about the Evening Standard’s campaign, he said: “If it’s for young people like me, and if it’s going to make young people stay out of the streets, it’s a good thing, isn’t it?

“I would be interested in it but at the moment I am working — but I have a lot of friends out of work, that are always around the streets doing nothing, getting into trouble and stuff like that.

“If, instead of spending time on the streets, they can get involved in building their lives — that is what makes the difference.

“If they start thinking ‘what can I do in life’ and learn, and get paid, that’s it, isn’t it? That’s all you need.”

Source: 25th September 2012, London Evening Standard, Emer Martin

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