Young people have no work ethic

The results aren't shocking in the least. But they are disappointing. We, as an industry, have been talking about the skills issue for what feels like forever. And, quite frankly, we seem to be going round in circles. While it is true that today's teenagers have a greater sense of entitlement than previous generations, it is also a fact that they have fewer opportunities than their parents did - jobs for life are no more, house prices are way out of line with incomes, and most degrees will set the average Joe back by around £40k and not even guarantee them a job at the end of it. There are a lot of Kevin and Perry's in this world, there's no denying it, but there are also a lot of hard working young people with a great work ethic who are willing to get their head down and get the job done (take last year's BEEAs winner Michael Aldridge as an example). Despite what the IMechE, or any other poll might suggest, not all of us 'youths' are content with sitting at home watching the likes of TOWIE or Jeremy Kyle all day – so don't tar us all with the same brush.