2014. szeptember 11., csütörtök

Reading comprehension 2 - advanced

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

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