Should we bring in GCSE work and life skills?

Ok guys, I thought this would be an appropiate time to share with you my big audacious goal. We all have one of these, right? A massive goal we have in life so we know where we are heading to on our journey? I have one and with these recent riots in our country I wanted to give my partner's ear and all the people I go on to a rest and finally start my journey towards my audacious goal and let you all in on what I want to make happen. This is such a big frustration of mine and something I feel extremely passionate about.

I don't know about you, but I get the feeling and get the impression when I hear some people talk that some of us don't really understand the real reasons we work, what business owners have to go through to provide job opportunities and why the benefit system is really there? I want to change our relationship and our mindset and I think the best place to start is at School.

I have not really done any research yet but I have gone on my own experience of school (I know that was quite a few years ago, so the curriculum may have changed), I have had a discussion  with a school's career advisor and had a heated short discussion with a teacher and from just this I feel not enough is being done to educate on work. We learn what we need to enable us to work which is just as important but we need to know why we are working in the first place.

I just want to say incase I upset any teachers (as I feel I have already upset a couple and that was never my intention), or anyone involved in school, you all do an amazing job and I'm not critising or blaming you as the subjects you teach children are just as important, I do take my hats off to you, I remember the grief I used to give my geography teacher! I think work and life skills should be an exam, a subject on the curriculum. This has no bearing on the work teacher's do already so please don't take this the wrong way or feel it's your responsibilty. I am not aiming this or targeting teacher's the people I am voicing my opinion to is the Education Minister and Governement. I would love it if Teachers thought this was a good idea too. I also don't think it should soley be School's responsibilities either this is just one of the ways. The Governement needs to implement this and other strategies to our whole work ethic. Also the benefits system and our relationship with it needs to change.

I have employed school leavers myself and especially with one I employed he had no real understanding about work like why he had to turn up on time, why he was paid the rate he was, the way he had to behave in front of customers, what affect his behaviour had on our business, How to work with other members of the team and respecting senior people in the team.  Luckily for him as this is a passion of mine I took the time out to invest time in him by teaching and showing him. I am hoping what he learnt from his employment with us he has now taken to his new employment. It's not just school leavers either if your employer doesn't take time out or have the time to teach people, people will never learn making them unemployable.

This leads me on to the benefit system if more people learn't and understood why we worked therefore increasing their employabilty and changing their attitudes, less people will be on benefits. Do people on benefits really know and understand who is paying their benefits or do they think it's coming from the government and this is what they are owed? I would be more than happy to pay tax and put it towards business's to help them grow to create employment and educating and helping people to work instead of putting money in people's pockets to live and rely on.

I do think our relationship with work and benefits is because we live in a "poor me" society. It drives me mad when I hear people saying they are better off on benefits, if they worked such and such hours or earn't such and such their tax credits would be stopped. Benefits are there to assist and help people if needed and not to be relied and treated as main income.

Personally it is unforgivable and unacceptable on the riots that are taking place in our country and I am making and there should be no excuses made for this outrageous behaviour. But what I do ask myself is why they started this in the first place as there has to be a reason as it would never have happened, is it ignorance? is it lack of understanding and respect? surely we need to prevent this from happening again from something that shouldn't of happened in the first place. Surely there are core reasons for this behaviour? I say reasons as no one should have any excuses for anything!!!

Final say..... most of us do know the importance of work and how businesses work and why we earn money. People do know why some people are Richer than other's or why some people are poorer. But unfortunately some people don't know why we work, how people get money and why people are able to buy nice/expensive things. Some people do think they are owed something, as one of my little sayings goes "nobody's going to give it to you, you have to work at what you want and earn it without harming others"

I know this blog is a bit more controversial than my other ones but this is what my core business Virtue is about Work and Business. My next few blogs will be coaching people on work so watch this space.....I am also planning to set up a website aimed at educating people on work and life skills, I think that is a place I will start first before knocking on number 10 downing street!!! I think Mr Cameron has enough of his hands at the moment!

Thank you for reading and please accept my apologises if I have offended anyone, I just want to help. I would also love to hear your opinions on this too, if you agree or not agree with me?

Lucy xxx :)