Today's young workers feel insecure at work, with anxieties about their employment future, about finding good work close to home and about finding a job that will support family life.
A survey of 1,000 young workers aged 18-34 suggests that the world of work is failing younger workers, who are in danger of becoming 'Generation Anxiety' as work-related worries and insecurity spread stress throughout their lives.
To find out more, click here
An innovative road safety project which aims to reduce teen road deaths offers teens an opportunity to experience the world of advertising.
The national competition, 'Ad Idol', is now through to the last stage, where the final 10 teens are competing for the prize of creating an MTV advertisement for the Government's THINK! Road Safety Campaign.
For more info see the MTV THINK! website
EU policymakers, social partners and leading safety and health experts met at the Euskalduna Conference Centre, Bilbao, Spain, to see how to ensure that young people have a safe and healthy start to their working lives.
Five hundred delegates heard that across Europe, 18 to 24-year-olds are at least 50% more likely to be injured in the workplace than more experienced workers.
Read more about the event here
The Trades Union Congress (TUC), the national centre for trade unions, provided a report to the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs' Inquiry in April into Employment and Training Opportunities for Low-Skilled Young People.
The report specifically addresses questions regarding whether existing training programmes have provided young people with adequate skills, looking particularly at Apprenticeships.
To read the full report, see the TUC website
Education Secretary Alan Johnson has launched a young people’s consultation on whether the education and training leaving age should be increased to 18.
The young people’s consultation, which is a magazine and questionnaire, aims to canvas young people’s views about raising the leaving age proposals. The consultation period runs until 14 June and there is also a young people’s version.
For more details or to respond to the government’s proposals click here
Nearly half of student nurses surveyed by a London University have been verbally abused while on their work experience placements, according to new research presented at the Royal College of Nursing's 2007 International Research Conference in May in Dundee.
114 third year student nurses in the south east of England were surveyed, showing 46% had reported they had been verbally abused by patients, relatives or staff. More than a third (39%) had seen other students being verbally abused and 61% said they were aware of other students experiencing verbal abuse. Eight percent (5 students) said they had received death threats.
For further info, see the Royal College of Nursing site
Young people and adults are increasingly gaining awards in Key Skills qualifications that employers, Universities and Colleges value highly, statistics released by the Department of Education and Skills in April reveal.
Key Skills are practical, applied skills that complement subject studies. As transferable skills for learning, work and life they include English, mathematics and ICT as well as personal and social skills.
See the new figures here
The information on accidents and prosecutions featured in this section comes from a number of different sources including the Health and Safety Executive and regional and national newspapers.
"Young people want respect and dignity at work. They are not satisfied with McJobs and rightly so. ... It is shameful that so many of them are getting a raw deal at work. Alienation and exploitation cannot be left unchecked."
Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite
"The most important message is the success of learning from real-life situations by involving vocational students and young workers in carrying out real risk assessments to identify hazards and to find solutions. The solutions result in safer workplaces, and underline the importance of consulting young people about OSH because they have plenty to contribute."
Jukka Takala, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Director
