The First Eighteen Months after Training

After spending six or twelve months learning a new trade the most important factor upon leaving the training centre was simply whether a man is able to find a job where he could make use of his recently acquired skill and how quickly he can begin work. Table 8.1 shows how long it took men to find jobs and what sort of work they managed to get. Table 8.1 Period of unemployment prior to first job according to type of job gained Using skill % Not using skill % Total % None 70.9 21.6 63.6 Less than 5 weeks 17.7 16.2 17.4 5–26 weeks 10.5 48.6 15.9 More than 26 weeks 0.9 13.5 2.7 Still unemployed — — 0.4 total N= 220 37 258 % = 100.0 99.9 100.0 Note: Throughout the chapter figures in italics in the tables indicate percentages.