Advice On My 16 Year Old Potential School Leaver With Not Much Direction....

[Lola]

Has anybody has any advice they can offer me?
I'm trying to help my son find his direction in life. He really feels like he doesn't want to say in school, though I know he has to stay in some kind of training until he is 18. He is able to leave high school at the end of the school year and has no idea what he wants to do next.
Everything we show him regarding training and apprenticeship he feels isn't for him and he and we just are at a loss as what to do.
Any advice would be helpful.

 

[Pearls]

Hi hun, what are his interests, is he creative, artistic for example x

 

[Admin]

Hi lovely Lola, have moved the thread from public forums into general chats, away from the public eye okay. x

 

[Happy Couple]

I think there is a big U.K. Skills show in Birmingham in November very good there every job you can think of with demos etc well worth trying to find out when it's on

 

[Deleted member 2610]

Difficult age to know what direction you want to go. A good solid apprenticeship is always good to have under your belt as a fall back in later life.
The UK skills show would be great place to start with x :0))

 

[peakcouple]

Join the forces - it will change his life, and if he chooses the right branch will give him skills he'll be able to use when he comes out. Also, he'll see the world, gain confidence, be part of a 'family' who will look after him if he plays the game - and have lots of 'adult entertainment' to quote Monty Python's recruiting advert.

 

[Lola]

he is going to the skills show and I'm hoping that will help.
He is more creative and good with his hands then academic and doesn't like anything to do with classrooms. The stuff that we've looked at to do with apprenticeships all seem to need a little bit of training or qualifications before you actually get the apprenticeship apart from jobs where he really start at the very bottom like in a Toby Carvery peeling potatoes for example. We have discussed the forces with him and I personally think that potentially could be a reasonable idea for him, but he doesn't really want to move to far from home as yet and he is quite young for that really.

 

[ScienceJ]

+1 @peakcouple

I'd recommend the Army from personal experience, and I'd imagine that if he wants to stay close to home, he might be able to train at ATR Bassingbourn near Royston. If he joins the Intelligence Corps (which is a good place for creative types) they training Bedfordshire too.

 

[Lola]

Thank you that does actually sound really interesting I will definitely look into the Intelligence Corps.

 

[ScienceJ]

Thank you that does actually sound really interesting I will definitely look into the Intelligence Corps.

This link will help ... I wasn't in intelligence, but a friend of mine was and has been nicknamed Crapspy ever since!

The Intelligence Corps - British Army Website

 

[Lola]

Much appreciated

 

[Deleted member 1402]

+1 @peakcouple

I'd recommend the Army from personal experience, and I'd imagine that if he wants to stay close to home, he might be able to train at ATR Bassingbourn near Royston. If he joins the Intelligence Corps (which is a good place for creative types) they training Bedfordshire too.

+1

 

[Deleted member 3411]

Whatever he does tell him not to panic. It's easy to think that you got to have great qualifications to get anywhere in life. It's more about making your way. I started off wanting to be an artist but soon got disillusioned and ended up getting an apprenticeship as an engineer because I just scraped through with the four qualifications needed. Although I won't say too much about where I am working now the point is I'm surrounded by university graduates even though I never went to uni myself. He'll rise up through ambition aptitude and ability. But much as it is a sin to mention it don't lose track of the money because I'm sure if I'd realised who gets paid the most in my industry I would have headed that direction. Job satisfaction is all ok but been able to pay the bills and have somewhere nice to live etc is just as important as what choice of career.

 

[Happy Couple]

If he is good with his hand how about carpentry or something you can get in touch with the citb (construction industry training board ) that may be able to get him on an apprenticeship locally and do day release at the local college
My last apprentice came straight from school at 16
And the one I had before was in the running for world skills finals etc he did 5 years with me now works on his own

 

[MP386]

As a Carpenter I should recommend that but if he chooses construction as a career , I would recommend Electrician or Plumber .... it's where the money is long term ...
but it's not for everyone you swelter in nylon hi viz in summer .... no bare chests or legs on most sites these days and freeze your arse off in winter ... then there's self employment tends to be the norm not so many directly employed in the industry ...
Having said that it's paid my bills for more years than I care to remember and I wouldn't change it...
Good luck with his search I am sure he will find something suitable ...

 

[Lola]

Thank you everyone, I will share all your fabulous ideas with him, and see if he feels inspired.

 

[Scrunchy&Muffet]

I defo think sit him down and ask what he enjoys doing and maybe try n get him an apprenticeship in that area.
Maybe doing some voluntary work he can try out a job before he applies.
Its so hard for the kids leaving school these days. I have this all to come. Good luck and hope he finds something he enjoys xxx

 

[PandMp]

Personally I'd try and get on the railway maintenance apprenticeship if possible as it's a good solid career and also you can branch out into different areas of maintenance to. I'd steer clear of the forces nowadays as they treat you like crap (I'm ex army so have firsthand experience). Hope he finds his way but remember he's only young yet

 

[Lola]

Thank you everybody. We did look at the Army website last night and was very surprised at how many different parts of it there are, he is interested in cooking and of course they do have chefs in addition to lots of other things.
We have sat down and talked about it no end but he just feels like there's nothing at all that he is drawn to and it does worry me. His attitude and the lack of motivation, where is me as much as the fact that he doesn't feel drawn to any career path.

 

[Lola]

We will visit some sixth forms with him just so that he can have a look and maybe possibly be surprised as what they can offer, he is going to the skills exhibition and we will see whatever else we can possibly find to interest him.

 

[Lola]

I do appreciate everybody's input on here

 

[Deleted member 3657]

Join the forces - it will change his life, and if he chooses the right branch will give him skills he'll be able to use when he comes out. Also, he'll see the world, gain confidence, be part of a 'family' who will look after him if he plays the game - and have lots of 'adult entertainment' to quote Monty Python's recruiting advert.

I'm still in the RAF and seriously have lost faith in the military because of how we are treated. These past few years have shown me that we are just a number, a bum in a seat and nothing else. When my marriage broke up they didn't give a shit and moved me away instead of helping and let me stay in the area to try and sort things out. Promises were made and broken by them. Then got told I am now classed as single so policy states that I am not entitled to certain considerations that would be applied to a married couple. It's not a family anymore. Thise days are gone. We are a statistic. They want us to register our sexual orientation now just so they have have stats as an equal rights employer. My advice, don't join the military, the good days have gone. It's all run by faceless HR departments.

 

[peakcouple]

I'm still in the RAF and seriously have lost faith in the military because of how we are treated. These past few years have shown me that we are just a number, a bum in a seat and nothing else. When my marriage broke up they didn't give a shit and moved me away instead of helping and let me stay in the area to try and sort things out. Promises were made and broken by them. Then got told I am now classed as single so policy states that I am not entitled to certain considerations that would be applied to a married couple. It's not a family anymore. Thise days are gone. We are a statistic. They want us to register our sexual orientation now just so they have have stats as an equal rights employer. My advice, don't join the military, the good days have gone. It's all run by faceless HR departments.

That's sad to hear, must say it was going that way as I left (I was a rockape for 17 years). At least they're more open about sex these days, I was given a severe bollocking for having a WRAF girlfriend in my room one night, and I knew several men who were dismissed with disgrace for MM activity.

 

[Looby&Lew]

We have a 17 year old who is certainly lacking in motivation.....he seems to think that if he applies for one apprenticeship doing something he's interested in that he will just get it no problem ..... I gave him a reality check the other day which led to cross words but he does appear in some small measure to have got his backside into gear. He wants to do engineering but has no clear direction about what the end game might be. We told him to keep it general until he has a clearer idea but it is very frustrating as a parent trying to do the best for them. I feel your pain x

 

[Deleted member 3657]

That's sad to hear, must say it was going that way as I left (I was a rockape for 17 years). At least they're more open about sex these days, I was given a severe bollocking for having a WRAF girlfriend in my room one night, and I knew several men who were dismissed with disgrace for MM activity.

yes they are more open but only because of social pressure. But they tried to order us to state our sexual orientation purely for figures. When I refused, and still refusing to state I am straight, I am the one in the wrong. I had to fill out an ethnicity survey a while ago. There was Welsh, Scottish, Irish and British as options as well as all the others. No English. So I ticked the "other" box and wrote English. Apparently I am British, not English. For an organisation who is trying to be inclusive it has become a very discriminate one if you are a white, straight single male. According to OFSTED we do not employ enough other ethnic origins. With numbers being cut back enormously, they want us employ people based on their ethnic origin and not on suitability. The RAF have to employ a certain number of other ethnicities which reduces numbers from white british. This is not a racist rant but merely to add that the military is not a family anymore but a stats and figures organisation to appease the left wing liberals.