SIR - During a television interview on Sunday, January 27, our self- appointed Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that in future, un-employed benefit claimants would be required to sign a paper agreeing to take a skills course to help in finding them new employment.
Nothing wrong in that. Unfortunately the interviewer did not press Mr Brown as to what skills people were to train for.
Other than IT (and there are hundreds of those out of work) plumbing or building, what is there to train for? Packers and pickers and telephone sales which seem to be in the main the work available, hardly need much skills training.
I know one man, a skilled industrial electrical engineer, who has been unable to secure full-time employment for the past seven years. He works as a temp when work is available and sometimes travels 100 miles daily rather than claim state benefits.
He is one of hundreds. Mr Brown went on to say that this country has to compete with China and India.
I really don't know which world he lives in.
Manufacturing in this country disappeared years ago, what little is left is being transferred overseas.
TONY EAVES, Martin Hussingtree
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