AUTHOR: Peter Vogel
PUBLISHER: Palgrave Macmillan: ISBN 978 -1- 357993 – 3
What’s it about ? : This is a sad kind of book, not for rainy, Sunday afternoons when you have not much else to do. Reading about people with little or zero job prospects can be a real downer. If you want to end the book filled with hope and enthusiasm – this isn’t it.
Who’s it for ? : Anyone who needs to get a clear insight, author Vogel provides a zillion examples, into the jobs crisis encompassing today’s youth. With a new, shiny set of shocking figures on every page, Mr Vogel doesn’t hold back or pull any punches on the doom and gloom, job-a- geddon scenarios, that are squeezed between the pages in abundance.
Why read it ?: If you need to know the why today’s youth got into this particular demographic pickle, it’s worth the read.
What’s the style ?: Pretty darn, academic. Dr Vogel is pretty much a plain vanilla writer, Very accurate but far too many facts and zero passion. Not enough examples of real people (case studies could have brought the subject to life.
and the best advice ? Chapter 4 (page 77) “Entrepreneurship: Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators.”Provides some useful thoughts and ideas that we all do well to heed.
… and if only time to read one chapter : Chapter 9 (page 225) “Building Multi-Stakeholder Solutions for Youth Employment.“ Practical insights and a few last thought. The book would have benefitted from more of that.
How MCE Rate it ?: Sadly, only a three out of five. Dr Vogel is a bit dry in his prose and there’s no pizzazz. Granted it’s not a fun subject, but it could do with a sprinkling of passion for simply DOING something to make things better – so far global institutions seem to have come up woefully short in offering any meaningful solutions.
It’s all a bit too clinical, there’s precious sign or reportage about real people. At the start of Chapter 4 (page 77) Dr Vogel quotes Mark Twain, “ Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. “ That quotation is far too much a minded of what is happening on the shores of the Mediterranean and elsewhere every day, jobless, desperate young people willing to do anything to “sail away “. Sadly there’s few if us around to help them to a “safe harbour.” They most need.
How to buy it ?: Slip out your credit card and go Google it or use the ubiquitous Amazon.