THE only jobs left in Britain today are self-employed. A third of all job vacancies currently hold this title.

There are many Government self-employment programmes in operation, but rather than encourage young people into business these programmes weigh you down like a pair of lead boots.

To form any kind of new business one needs 100 per cent dedication and commitment – but how can this be achieved when an unemployed young person is given only three months to get their business up, running and making cash?

This proves just how detached the Government is – if it spent less time taking inspiration from programmes like Dragon’s Den and got down to how a real business works and develops it would know self-employment is a race and not a sprint.

As for the additional obstacles it has placed in the way – anyone becoming self-employed and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance still has to be actively seeking work, still has to attend the work programme and still has to prove to the Jobcentre rigid steps they have taken to secure employment.

With so many hurdles, how can a person find the time to build a business? It’s nothing short of a joke.

If the Government is serious about encouraging the go-getters of the future, then it needs to approach such schemes with some sense of realism and not run it like an end-of-year primary school project.

Stephanie Finnegan, Normanby.