Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

114 ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE?7.2.3 EXPERIENCES OF UNEMPLOYMENTTurning to the qualitative interviews, in total five respondents wereunemployed at the time of interview, two of whom had dropped out ofLCA. This group were unemployed for a number of reasons such as illness,injuries which led to absence from work for long periods in addition tothose unable to gain access to the labour market. One example, Roy haddropped out of LCA in fifth year and was long-term unemployed at thetime of interview. When he left LCA, he had done a trial period with akitchen fitting company which he had hoped would eventually lead to anapprenticeship. He was, however, unsuccessful in getting this job and hasnot worked since then. He has made attempts to secure employment anddo courses through FÁS but was not successful. As soon as he turned 18years he began receiving social welfare:I would have been up in FÁS and all, they were getting me work … you knowwhat I mean, do, I was supposed do a computer course there, but I just never didit…It was only about a year ago I’d say.Did you just go on the dole then when you left school, was thathow you got by?The minute I turned 18 straight on the dole, best thing ever, oh free money, yeah.(Roy, 22, dropped out of LCA, unemployed)Roy has become frustrated and has made attempts to get a job orapprenticeship during this time, but without success:I went for, there was, petrol station down there, I tried that, I went to a gym to bea fitness instructor, I actually was supposed to have a job there, how long ago,about a year and a half ago, I broke my arm….on the Saturday, two days beforeI was supposed to start working on a building site, me arm got broken.How’d you break it?Fighting with one of my friends.And are jobs tight around here, like would there be many?Oh, fuck all…Nothing, nothing at all.Did you ever think about doing an apprenticeship or anythinglike that?That’s what I was trying for down in [name of town], apprenticeship, couldn’t getit.In what?Carpentry.(Roy, 22, dropped out of LCA, unemployed)Tim was also unemployed at the time of interview and was looking forwork as a security guard. He felt his unemployment was due to a longabsence from work after he was injured in a car crash after he left school.He now feels these injuries limit what jobs he can do:I’m able to do certain…types of security, like retail security is just walkingaround and looking at cameras all day, that’s what I’m going for. (Tim, 21,completed LCA, unemployed)However, Tim felt he had other options and stated that if he cannotfind a job he is considering going to college in England where he now lives: