Task 2
• Read this article about youth unemployment and then
read the statements (8-14) that follow.
• Mark a statement A if it is true according to the
article.
• Mark it B if it is false.
• Mark it C if, on the basis of the article, it cannot be decided if it is true or false.
• Write the letters in the white boxes as in the example (0).
YOUNG, GIFTED AND SLACK
One of the biggest problems facing the world in 2013 is the prolonged − and seemingly
intractable − crisis of youth unemployment. Put simply, too many young people lack
employable skills in a world that has too few skilled workers. The result is that in parts of the
Middle East and North Africa youth unemployment remains stuck at around 25%; in Spain
and South Africa about half of young would-be-workers are unemployed; globally around
75m people aged 15 to 24 are jobless, and the International Labour Organisation expects this
dismaying unemployment rate of almost 13% to rise.
Clearly, this is a critical business issue. In a recent survey of more than 4,555 young
people, 2,700 employers and 900 education providers across America, Brazil, Britain,
Germany, India and Turkey, some 40% of employers reported that they struggle to fill entry-
level jobs because the candidates have inadequate skills. Almost 45% of young people said
that their current jobs were not related to their studies, and of these more than half view the
jobs as interim and are looking to leave. Without a remedy for this mismatch of demand and
supply, we forecast that by 2020 there will be a global shortfall of 85m high- and middle-skill
workers for the labour market.
So what should be done? The heart of the matter is helping the young learn relevant
skills more effectively, and that requires greater co-operation − and communication − between
companies, governments and education providers. Among several promising approaches, one
favoured by students is the “practicum”: a practical course involving either hands-on learning
in the classroom or training on the job. Sadly, less than a quarter of education-providers use
such methods − yet they should be the 21st-century equivalent of the 20th-century
apprenticeship, a way for people to learn and continuously update their skills. If such training
is underpinned by a certification system, employees (and employers) will know that skills are
transferable across companies and industries.
Such remedies are both necessary and available to solve a talent gap that will be the
biggest business challenge of the coming decade. It makes no sense that in the coming years
college graduates will still be taking menial, part-time jobs because they have inadequate
skills for their chosen career.
(The Economist)
írásbeli vizsga, I. vizsgarész 6 / 12 2014. május 8.
1312
Angol nyelv — emelt szint Azonosító
jel:
0) Youth unemployment is a long-standing problem worldwide.
8) The cause of the problem is that there are too few jobs for young,
skilled job-seekers.
9) In certain countries almost every other young person is unemployed.
10) The outlook for the future remains gloomy.
11) The mismatch between the skills that candidates have and the skills they
actually need is a major concern for all those involved, a new study
says.
12) The survey reveals that in most jobs young people are seriously underpaid.
13) One way forward could be practical courses; the problem is that not
enough are available at present.
14) The prediction that college graduates will still be put in menial jobs in the
coming years is nonsense.
0) A
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
7 pont
