UK government to pay gap year students for foreign trips
The UK government, via the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has today confirmed that up to 500 young graduates under the age of 24 will be paid to work in places such as Costa Rica, Borneo and Nicaragua, on projects which include building schools. While they will have to pay the first £1000 cost towards the trip and arrange their own flights and vaccines, they will be paid by the UK government to assist with various projects.
The scheme is set to come into play next week in conjunction with expedition company Raleigh International which has vast experience in this particular field. When you consider there are currently 48 graduates going for every job vacancy in the UK at the moment there is certainly a need to keep minds focused. However, using taxpayer's money to fund trips overseas at a time when the UK is still struggling financially and many are not able to make ends meet is a controversial decision.
This scheme comes on the back of an announcement which will see thousands of jobs "created" by the government to basically reduce the unemployment number and put people back into work. However, the £1 billion committed to the scheme is seen by many as a waste of money as these jobs in question do not actually exist.
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