Dane Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 LONDON - Unemployed and love music? If so, a British school is offering teenagers a deal ? take a summer course and bag an iPod. Out of work teenagers are being offered digital iPod music players if they complete courses aimed at helping them find jobs, officials at school in southern England said Wednesday. Critics say handing out the players ? which cost around 170 pounds (US$300; euro230) in Britain ? to students embarking on the "Step Up for Summer" course at Bournemouth and Pool College amounts to bribery. Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the 14-week course, which is funded by the Government's Learning and Schools Council, is sending teenagers the wrong message. "The people who are organizing the course must feel the youngsters don't really want to go, otherwise they wouldn't feel it was necessary to offer them iPods," he said. "To me they are offering them a bribe. It's giving the wrong message about the value of education. It tells teenagers they don't have to do anything unless they are getting a sweetener." But a spokeswoman for Bournemouth and Poole College said the school's target youngsters "are predominantly disaffected by education, they have possibly not had a very good experience in the school sector and therefore are not engaged in learning." "I see it (the iPod offer) as an incentive to get them back in to learning," she said. She said the college has so far had 30 applications for the 100 places available. The course, which is limited to those aged 16-18, includes team-building activities such as outdoor pursuits and extreme sports; life skills, including how to write a resume and budget your money; travel tips; first aid and community work. Students will be required to do paid employment for one day a week. In a separate initiative, Glasgow City Council recently announced that it would reward high school students who buy healthy meals at school canteens with points that can be traded for cinema tickets, book tokens, iPods and Xbox games consoles. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050608/ap_on_...tain_ipod_offer Sorry if this has been posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 "The people who are organizing the course must feel the youngsters don't really want to go, otherwise they wouldn't feel it was necessary to offer them iPods," he said. 586039622[/snapback] No sh1t. I bet the vast majority of kids don't want to go to school over summer. I don't see whats so bad about offering iPods. After all that EMA Scheme the government promotes PAYS kids to stay on after school so why is this so much worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterSpy Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 What's bad? It's called Bribery! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiddlie Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Yes but its the way of the world - you go to work and get paid - take this example and it becomes bribary. What people seem to forget is young people spend 35hours a week in school and then take out part time jobs to earn spending money. Basically it becomes a 60-80 hour week (depening on the job). Schools should give an allowance to pupils anyway i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterSpy Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Yes but its the way of the world - you go to work and get paid - take this example and it becomes bribary. What people seem to forget is young people spend 35hours a week in school and then take out part time jobs to earn spending money. Basically it becomes a 60-80 hour week (depening on the job). Schools should give an allowance to pupils anyway i think. 586039957[/snapback] I think your mind must be quite warped if you believe that being paid is bribery for work. Yes, I know that people wouldn't work if they didn't get paid, but most people work to earn money so that they may live, not because they're bribed to. And so what if young people have to work a 60-80 week. School work is nothing compared to real work. When many students leave school, they'll quickly wish they were back there. Students also have the choice of leaving school at 16. If you don't, and choose to continue on in further education, that's your problem - nobody else. They knew what was involved, and most do the extra hours work at school and as a part-time job, so that they reap the benefits in later life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin-uk Veteran Posted June 9, 2005 Veteran Share Posted June 9, 2005 dammit im too old lol :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlibbyFlobby Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 EMA is actually meant to be used for Academic purposes, not just to spend on whatever you feel like. When I went college I was entitled to the full amount per week (?30) and a bonus for full attendance to every class for a full term, as well as good exam results. Its a very good incentive to keep students in college, however the majority of people I knew could get away with not attending, working part time and claiming the money (not the bonuses however). I used the money for my studies and save any extra up alongside my part time work. If I remember the bonuses were ?90 per good A-Level result (or something close) and ?80 for a full term attendance. In effect it doubled my earning and allowed me to get my PC which is currently putting me through University which I'm paying for by working part time 22 hours a week. I might add I'm I am a full time student too. EDIT: Nice sig Colin, reminds me of some fun Java classes I've h:D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samg Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 my god. this is stupid, im paying for kids to get a free ipod? Just so they can go to school to learn how to get jobs? If they keep getting thinkgs like ipods for free they wont need to go to work! they can just sell everything to the hard workers like my self. If they get a free ipod for doing summer school what about all of the people who have already done summer school ? makes it seem a little unfair! I managed to get a job when i left school at 16 without going on any stupid courses, i just worked hard to get a job! So now im paying for kids to get FREE luxery items, and paying for people to teach them pointless stuff! If there going to bribe them, maybe do something to counteract it, more holiday? Can wear casual clothes (my school was uniform) anything but giving kids FREE electronic items.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterSpy Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 my god. this is stupid, im paying for kids to get a free ipod? Just so they can go to school to learn how to get jobs? If they keep getting thinkgs like ipods for free they wont need to go to work! they can just sell everything to the hard workers like my self. 586040156[/snapback] My thoughts exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Bribery. Thats all it is. Waste of taxes. Stop giving them so many benefits. That'll make them find a job. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereopixels Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Should they need incentives to get jobs? I mean; surely actually getting a job is an incentive as it provides the money to buy an iPOD? Surely this just shows them that if they don't work, they'll be fine as long as they can claim benefits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastique Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 this completly ****s over the teens that are already woring. I'd quit my minimum wage job and take this damn class to get an ipod if I was working this. ghey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterSpy Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I mean; surely actually getting a job is an incentive as it provides the money to buy an iPOD? Surely this just shows them that if they don't work, they'll be fine as long as they can claim benefits? 586040610[/snapback] Yes, but in the nanny Labour country that we live in, children are not encouraged at school to be competitive or try. They want to make everyone equal, and for nobody to be different. That's why stupid things such as banning Sports Days (because there are winners and losers, and they don't want the poor old losers to feel bad) and exam getting easier (so everyone can pass) have occured. Then they suddenly find that when people come to being adults, they can't be bothered to do anything because some (ie. the Government) has done everything for them before. Why work when you can get free IPods, ?36,000 benefits a year by having 6 children and living in a free council house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerus Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 LUCKY! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastique Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Yes, but in the nanny Labour country that we live in, children are not encouraged at school to be competitive or try. They want to make everyone equal, and for nobody to be different. That's why stupid things such as banning Sports Days (because there are winners and losers, and they don't want the poor old losers to feel bad) and exam getting easier (so everyone can pass) have occured. Then they suddenly find that when people come to being adults, they can't be bothered to do anything because some (ie. the Government) has done everything for them before. Why work when you can get free IPods, ?36,000 benefits a year by having 6 children and living in a free council house? 586041365[/snapback] sounds liek no child left behidn here in teh US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereopixels Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 We're not lucky; the people who are complaining on this board are the people who won't get an iPOD because they've done their education during a time when the country wasn't run by communists, or as they prefer to call it 'equal opportunities', and instead we are paying for these iPODs, not receiving one ourselves. I expect Labour are holding out on their idea of charging us ?1.40 something per mile to use our own motorways as a backer to fund this new, ever-stupider project to get stupid people back into school where they could learn the geographic location of their nearest job centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightsulpher var Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 It might be a bribe or it might be payment for a days work but hey i wouldnt argue with a free IPOD :D Wish i could sign up so i could get a IPOD :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blush Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 I think it's a bad way to motivate teenagers. :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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