A Labor submission primed as an election policy has been leaked to Fairfax media, unveiling plans of the Youth Start Boot Camp, designed as a precursor for young people aged 15-21 attempting to qualify for the dole, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The submission seems to essentially run along the lines of “Those useless Gen Y bludgers won’t get our money until we straighten them out first” (well, more or less), running on trend with older generations tsking at our general worthlessness and stupidity, always on the youtubes, and then wondering out loud why our self esteem appears to dramatically plummet. Thanks, you guys.
The submission is yet to be confirmed as officially on the table as an election-winning temptation, however, Fairfax reports that the submission—originally put forward by Bill Shorten and Kate Ellis in May—will require $70 million over four years to Job Services Australia.
Pre-employment boot camps similar to ones the Rudd government is leaning towards already exist widely in Australia, operating to various degrees of success, and often designed to help those of a lower socioeconomic status with a level of education that strays from the national average: In Sydney, BoysTown mixes adventure-based learning, sport and outdoor activities with employment programs to help people aged 15 to 25. More than 84 per cent of the youths in BoysTown programs have not completed year 10. Nearly half have never had a job or came from families that had a history of welfare dependency.”
According to SMH, the leaked submission reads, ‘‘Youth unemployment is a growing problem that we need to address,” and that their solution is simple: “Unemployed young people will participate in an army boot camp and pre-employment training.”
Hm. Army is an interesting word to use there; it all sounds suspiciously like conscription, and it’s not as if the army still cleanly upholds it’s “boy’s adventure” glamour it might have once attained, oh, a hundred years ago. Things are a bit different, now.
Before anyone starts crying outrage, it’s possible that this idea—seemingly plucked from the depths of a battle-hungry madman—is so crazy it might just work, as SMH reports, “A study by Monash University found 61 per cent of participants in Boystown programs found full-time employment and nearly 12 per cent found part-time or casual work.”
Better be safe than sorry; before you’re dragged to a camp with mud-riddle obstacle courses and regular sessions based around an in-depth discussion of your feelings, hunt down your dream job here.
Via SMH.
