Will Davies, co-founder of property maintenance and refurbishment company aspect.co.uk points to research by the Local Government Association, which suggests that for people between the ages of 13 and 24 there are at least eight different national organisations which fund 33 different employment schemes catering for 13 different sets of age boundaries.

Davies adds, ‘We need to get back to the basics of the old fashioned apprenticeship system. ‘No matter how many schemes the government support, none of them will be absolutely perfect for every individual.

‘We need to give long-term unemployed youngsters the chance to work and the chance to learn basic disciplines like time keeping and team work.’

Aspect has held two ‘handyman boot camps’ for young unemployed Londoners at its Earlsfield headquarters, with participants required to complete a number of physical and mental ‘boot camp’ challenges with the reward being a full-time, paid handyman apprenticeship with the company.

Adds Davies, ‘With over a million youngsters unemployed companies throughout the UK need to take the initiative and offer a route out of ‘benefit culture’ for young people – especially the ones who haven’t, for one reason or another, performed well academically.’