Re: Why not just pay them to breathe?
 

No, but every pound you earn over (I think it's five quid, or, at least, that used to be the figure) is deducted pound-for-pound off your benefits.

Which is really stupid because it gives you no incentive to get any work, but that's another discussion!

Re: Why not just pay them to breathe?
 

So, the bottom line appears to be that these people are marginally better off (but presumably have to make some costs as well), and get an ipod thrown in after spending 14 weeks doing things that will get them off their back sides and will improve their prospects. That doesn't sound bad to me...

I know, and it's not an easy one, as the more incentive you give people to get work, the less incentive you give people on low salaries to stay in work. But, as you say, that's another discussion.

Re: Why not just pay them to breathe?
 

I don't believe that most people are thinking about the students that are getting absolutely *BUGGAR ALL* financial incentive at this age. People like me.

Apparently the government don't think it's right that I get anything because 'my mum and dad earn too much'. Yet I get NO money or bonus like that, the only thing I get is £30 a week for meals etc off my parents. Any extra money for like clothes has to be got from a job by me. And the only reason my mum and dad 'earn so much' is that they are continously working and I mean they work ridiculous hours. They admit it's a struggle to keep me going at college, and they are at the income level where the tax level really does start to kick in. And the thought that this tax money is going to buy students bloody iPods in order to keep them going on a basic skills course, well, I think it's quite sickening really.
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The £30 a week is one thing. The £500 extra bonus/ iPod is another. Completely unfair to only give such incentives to only a few students.

Re: Why not just pay them to breathe?
 

if this is a ladder for council house kids to get away from spending the summer riding quad bykes around town or trail bykes or nickin' stuff then I think it's worth doing. it's a small price to pay to get them making gainful use of their time.

Re: Why not just pay them to breathe?
 

All I can say is that I enrolled on the wrong course :D I attend this college on a daily basis. To be honest, they can't even afford decent IT equipment for those of us on an IT COURSE so how they can find money to give away IPods, I dunno.

My group got kicked out of a room and it got refurbished for the HAIRDRESSERS with 3GHz HT PCs, 512MB of RAM, Windows XP. We're stuck with 733MHz Pentium 3s, 64MB RAM, Windows NT 4 :(