To think wales is a huge problem that no one ever talks about?

[Cocklodger]

Right now Theresa May is cracking down on no win no fee solicitors
Mainly south Wales, in particular the valleys.
Back years ago when the mines were shut down rightfully there was nothing left to replace it. Nothing at all, it killed thousands of jobs, which was to be expected, but in exchange there was no new businesses, no back ups, nothing. And it's only gotten worse since, poverty is high, benefit claimants are quite common
Public transport is awful to say the least and if you can't commute to Cardiff by some means, you're screwed, most can't afford cars and if you're in a public transport black spot then you're severely limited to warehouse operative positions which have over 100 applicants in one to three days. Meanwhile house prices in Cardiff are rising, I think in 40 years we will have a new London.
In the valleys most looks grey, worn out and pretty dead to be honest. Where I live there are a few car dealerships and a train station, which is more like a bus stop with tracks next to it than an actual station and the nearest station with people actually manning the booths is pontypridd (45mins away by train) I spent years working as a volunteer for an agency that helps people with problems (poverty related) such as MH issues, finding work, food bank referrals and the like. I saw it every single day, people wanting to work but seldom getting anywhere.
There are articles and documentaries about it, but I never see them talked bout on here or elsewhere really, aibu to think that Wales is a big problem that no one really talks about?

To be fair, we live near a Noth West ex mill town. My daughters' friends all got decent A levels and GCSEs. I can only think of two out of her gang of eight or so who have gone to Uni. They are working in call centres, clerical jobs and retail and making jibes remarks about snobby spoilt students.

Now nothing wrong with any of those jobs, but if you had the brains, and the grades, to aspire to something more interesting and well paid, why wouldn't you? And yes, some of the parents have been definitely putting the blocks on.

Tinkly at the moment Wales gives 10 free hours a week for 3-year-olds, term-time only. I thought that England gets lots more??

That said Welsh Labour have promised to give 30 free hours a week to working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds. However if my nursery fees are anything to go by I doubt this will ever happen - where on earth will they find the money?

So yeah, it's not just the Valleys. Maybe it's a post industrial thing?

i live in relatively affluent english area. i can understand, as Madein says, that its the attitudes and expectations of parents/teachers and influence of friends which is significant (in my experience with my kids anyway).

I moved one of my kids from a brand new school to one that was old, where they had to walk between buildings. But the peer groups and teacher expectations were so much higher than the shiny new school. Where my kids were in sets with discruptive kids that you describe soaking up all the teachers expectations.

Would grammar schools make a difference to some of the kids at least? they did with my relative who lived in the valleys - though admittedly they did well and left the area. mind u a lot of his schoolfriends moved back after uni

sorry meant to say 'soaking up all the teachers time'

I don't know ^Oh*. I know my Welsh based sister got free full time nursery hours for the year before her kids started school, and free mornings for the year before that. At the time, in England, I was just getting free mornings for the year before school.

Possibly it is different now.

i don't think its post industrial - there's no industry here. i think a lot of it has to do with parents and their expectations. Most of the friends of one of my kids are bright, but they all left school with hardly any qualifications and were idling in low paid jobs - call centre, retail type ones that will never pay much. I think the only reason he has gone to uni is because my other kids have and we have encouraged him (though clearly not forced). The expectation that if he didn't go to uni he would have to work his way up to a management job

tinkly I know who couple of people who have gone to Uni and they are still working in call centres, because the jobs for graduates just aren't there. Added to that, you now need 4 GCSE's A-C just to work in a minimum wage job, where you'll be stuck because it's harder than ever to work your way up.

I think the push to get 50% of school leavers into University was ridiculous. It didn't create more jobs or give people more opportunities. In most cases, it meant your degree was worthless.

Wales NHS is very problematic. Sorry to make this about Brexit but if Welsh Leave voters thought EU grants would be replaced by Westminster grants they are sadly mistaken.

YABU to make this about Wales. Wales shares many of the problems of post-industrial and/or rural or isolated communities across the UK. Making this a nationalist argument just serves to make finding solutions more complicated.

Indeed Hip but I guess it's about finding a degree that there is a demand for. Too many bright kids are doing Media and Film and whatever. Great. I bet it's fun. But no one is going to give you a job because of it.

Funnily enough, some of these derided subjects are the ones which offer employment. People scoff at 'golf course management' but graduates of such degrees get good jobs in their field. It's possibly the more traditional academic subjects which are limiting e.g. what do you do with English and History apart from teach?

"tinkly I know who couple of people who have gone to Uni and they are still working in call centres, because the jobs for graduates just aren't there."

Exactly the problem. There aren't the jobs for people with qualifications so they end up under-employed or leaving. We need to be a bit more ambitious for our young people than factories and call centres and aim for better jobs that are less likely to be delocalised to even poorer countries.

"Too many bright kids are doing Media and Film and whatever. Great. I bet it's fun. But no one is going to give you a job because of it."

Actually, I think the media is quite a big employer in Cardiff.

Jobs in the media world are NOT filled by "media studies" from poor universities

media studies students...

Blanche, I know what you mean, but I don't agree with people's slating of media courses. Cardiff University has very well regarded journalism courses and their graduates do go on to work in the field.

Gwen - yes it does - I know Cardiff university well! However, again the people doing this have got top degrees from Russell group places plus their journalism experience as a student. Media/film studies at the university of Glamorgan wouldn't really be considered.

"Media/film studies at the university of Glamorgan wouldn't really be considered."

Yes, but that is a general problem with new universities (ex polytechnics and HE institutions). It's not really to do with the course.

Traditionally there were lots of classics graduates among senior civil servants. I don't think many people would argue that classics are the most relevant subjects these days, it was just to do with the general background of those people (upper class from the top public schools).

Some ex-polytechnics have a good reputation for some of their courses e.g. Oxford Brookes for automotive engineering. Hatfield Poly, (as was) for aeronautical engineering. Even places like Southampton Solent, which most people seem to dismiss as a joke, has a well regarded boat building course.

what do you do with English and History apart from teach?

Seriously?

It's a valid question Tinkly. I've worked with English and History graduates in call centres and admin jobs.
Yes, some history graduates will work in museums and some English graduates will become publishers, but very, very many will end up under-employed.

Not entirely serious with English and History, no, but as a previous poster has pointed out, civil servants used to have classics degrees, or PPE from Oxford, and it is debatable how relevant these degrees are to today's world.

peregrina yes I accept that for technical subject with good links to industry in some of the newer universities, however, the endless generic media and other similar "new" subjects offered by low ranking universities are unlikely to lead to good grad level jobs that all students of course want.

Going back to the list of 10 most deprived areas, I can't help feel it's a bit misleading. For example the St James/lansbury area of Caerphilly is almost entirely council houses and as being in poverty is pretty much a pre-requisite for being on the council list, I can't see the situation changing.