[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> for free transverse or to give us your comments, visit us at qanda.org. >> all 10 years of interviews are available online. if you enjoyed this week's interview, here are some others you might like. katrina swett, alfredo quinones-hinojosa, and of our interview with melanie sloan, head of citizens responsibility in washington. you can watch them at www.c-span.org.

monday night on the communicators, three technology reporters reveal the big issues of 2014 and key communications issues facing the new year. brian fung, and political. >> it gives an opening for republicans in congress to introduce a bill about neutrality of their own. what will the chairman do in response to that? is that going to force him to move more quickly or is it going to put him in a position where he will have to do some negotiation with congressional republicans? that is not clear yet. that is something we will be watching it early in the year. >> i'm expecting the sec will come out with final rules on that reality. president obama came out in support of reclassifying

broadband service under title ii of the medications act, which would treat it like a utility. broadband industry groups are fiercely opposed to this. there is a lot of pressure on chairman wheeler to go that route. we will see what happens there. the fight is not necessarily over. there is going to be lawsuits almost certainly from verizon and comcast. especially if chairman wheeler does what the president wants. >> we are talking about net neutrality against the backdrop of the communications act update which republicans in the house have undertaken. now that republicans control the senate, we will see it there too. they have said they want to get pen to paper starting in january. we could see something on that very soon. that is a tool for congressional republicans to use. >> monday night at 8:00 eastern on the communicators on c-span2.

>> coming up on c-span, members of the british youth parliament meet for their annual session. and a senate hearing on how americans are financially preparing for retirement. and a discussion on the possible top economic stories of 2015. >> the british parliament is in recess for the holidays. tonight, we are showing portions of the u.k. youth parliament. in november, more than 300 young people ages 11 to 18 gather in the house of commons for the policy debate. it consisted of five topics for consideration for their 2015 national campaign. they began the session with a tribute to the 100 anniversary of world war i. >> please take your seats.

first of all, welcome. i hope you have a great day. this is the sixth annual sitting of the u.k. youth parliament here in chamber of the house of commons. i have had the pleasure and privilege of chairing your proceedings each time, and i hugely look forward to doing so again today. i think i can say with confidence that you will have fun and find the whole experience very, very rewarding indeed. certainly, we are grateful to you for taking an interest, for treating this place with respect, and for wanting to be here. we want you to be here. the issues to be debated today were, of course, as you know chosen by the annual “make your mark” ballot. last year, i remember reporting

with some pride on your behalf that the number of votes cast had almost doubled from the previous year. the british youth council reports that, this year, the number has almost doubled again with 875,000 young people casting a vote. we say the words “thank you” and the word “congratulations” too rarely, so i want to be the first here in the chamber to say thank you and congratulations for everything you have done not only showing your own interest, but engendering interest among other young people. it is enormously to your credit and you ought to give yourself a big round of applause. [applause]

i'm glad you are getting into the spirit of the thing at a very early stage. i said you would choose and have chosen the topics to debate. in doing so, you are choosing what are to be your priority campaigns for 2015. there is another element to the proceedings today. this year's youth parliament marks the introduction of the paul boskett memorial award. this will go to someone who makes the speech as debate lead that is thought to be the best and the speech from another will

also be recognized. paul boskett very sadly died very suddenly this year at age 59. as many will know, paul was one of the driving forces behind the u.k. youth parliament at the british youth council. he was passionate about the organization. he was full of enthusiasm. he was an example for others to follow, and he is very much missed. today's proceedings will be broadcast live on the internet. i know you have had some preliminaries and i will keep them to an absolute minimum. i just want to say two things. myp's who wish to speak should stand in their place. members of parliament stand

constantly because they are trying to catch the speakers eye, that's what i ask you to do as well. i hope you won't mind when i say please speak only once. once you have spoken, although your enthusiasm is respected please don't try to get called again because i might accidentally call you again. and that's a bit unfair. you may have to stand a great deal before getting called, and it's not possible to accommodate everybody, but i will try to get as many contributors as possible. but once only for each person, please. second, you should always say your name and region at the beginning. otherwise, those taking the official report will not know who they are. perhaps you can remember just to

pause for a moment before starting to enable the microphone to be activated. without further ado and with huge appreciation from me and from you, i call someone who has served in this house for 25 years who has previously led his party, who served as foreign secretary of our country, and is now a hugely respected leader of the house of commons. please give a warm and appreciative welcome to the right honorable william hague. [applause] >> thank you. mr. speaker, i'm delighted to add my welcome to members of the youth parliament, and i thank you and all the officials and

offices of the house who have well as the many staff who have volunteered their time to welcome members of the youth parliament this morning. i think they all deserve a round of applause as well. [applause] it is my absolute pleasure to welcome you all to parliament as leader of the house of commons. as leader of the house, i'm both a representative of the government in the house, but importantly, i also represent house to the government. i will make sure the relevant government ministers are sent your debate and everything you have said today so they can read it, and they are going to whether they like it or not, i can assure you. [laughter] this chamber has a unique atmosphere and an extraordinary history. you will become part of that history today.

we often hear people are bored or disenchanted with politics in our country, and many people are. but it is here that laws are passed that affect every aspect of our lives and will do so throughout your lives. how much students pay when they go to university. what sort of national health service we have. how we meet our future energy needs and what effect that has on our countryside and planet. these are issues debated and decided here and we need some of the best and brightest minds among us to be attracted into politics for the common good. we deal with fundamental questions of our identity, our rights and responsibilities, the nature of our society, and the future of our country and the world. i am standing down from the house of commons in a few months' time. i will have served 26 years as a member of parliament by then. i started off in politics, as some of you know as a

16-year-old, giving a speech at the conservative conference, which is still, rather embarrassingly to me, played on television from time to time. [laughter] you have seen it, i can tell. i did have hair in those days. with clothes that went out of fashion 30 or so years ago. but i got involved as a young person as you are doing. if somebody asked me today, 37 years later, would i do it again, i would say yes. my experience here in the last quarter of a century shows to me you can achieve things in parliament and in politics that you cannot achieve in any other way. in 1995, i took through this house the disability discrimination act. i wrote it and i passed it through parliament, which, over the last 19 years, has helped improve the lives of tens of

thousands of disabled people in this country. i am proud of having been able to do that, but i could not have done it if i had not been a member of parliament. those people who tell you not to bother, not to vote or not to take part can never achieve anything like it or achieve any positive change of any kind without getting involved. the other thing i want to tell you is you would think from media comments that you would have to go to a particular school or come from a particular part of the country to succeed in politics. take no notice of that whatsoever. i came from a comprehensive school from rotherham in south yorkshire. i just met one of your members that came from rotherham. there he is on the back row, where the members from rotherham often sit.

i came from a comprehensive school in rotherham, and i have been leader of the opposition, foreign secretary, and i have never found any door closed to me or any barrier placed in my way. you can go to the top, and don't let anybody ever tell you that you can't. in this chamber, many of the great advances in human rights and democratic governance have been made. it was in the then house of commons sitting in the chapel as it went sat which you have probably come through this morning, that the bill of rights was passed in 1689, the foundation stone of parliamentary sovereignty and the freedom of british citizens. it was here and house of commons that the slave trade was abolished in 1807 after 20 years of efforts and campaigning. it was here that all women in our country finally won the right to vote when the equal

franchise act was adopted in 1928. today, you will debate the principle of whether suffrage should be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds in our country. more recently, we passed the marriage same-sex couple act so marriage is open to everyone equally. and it is here, as you will recall in a moment, the house suddenly raised the case for war on the eve of the first world war. more than 800,000 of our countrymen perished in battle. matters of war and peace continue to be one of the serious areas of debate in the house of commons. during my time as foreign secretary, we won the support of the house for military intervention in libya but lost the vote on responding to chemical weapons in syria. these democratic decisions of the highest importance are made in here.

the issues i have mentioned are just a few of the reasons why politics matter and why your involvement in the youth parliament today is so important. the fact 865,000 young people voted to choose the subject for debate today is a testament to how much you have to say. this chamber must be just as relevant today as at any time in the past. these days, we have topical questions, more urgent questions, the backbench committee chair all helped to keep this house at the center of debate in our country. parliament continues to evolve and democracy evolves also. during parliament week is the campaign to do democracy and i encourage you all to be involved in that and the many events running up and down the country over the next few days.

some of my many colleagues and members of parliament will be in and out of the chamber during the day. one or two will be able to stay for out the proceedings. i will be here for a little while, that i had to go to my constituency in yorkshire, as mps usually do on friday afternoon. today, the floor of the house is yours. you will be debating the issues that have been debated many times before -- the constitution, education, mental health. you will bring your own views and own experience and own ideas. as edmund burke, one of the greatest parliamentarians in our history said 200 years ago "parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different , hostile interests, but a deliberative assembly of one nation with one interest -- that of the whole, the general good resulting from the general reason of the whole."

in that spirit, i wish you a day of debate and i look forward to your contributions here and we all look forward to the contribution you will all make in the future. thank you very much indeed. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed. next, i call as chair of the backbench business committee and representing the opposition, natascha engel. [applause] >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. i would like to start with thanking you very sincerely not just for chairing this but actually making this possible because those six years we have had with the u.k. youth parliament, the privilege we have had to hear the youth parliament and the chamber

would not have been possible without the work you have done and without enabling this kind of assembly once a year that we are all so privileged to take a part in. thank you very much, mister speaker. i would also like to say a thank you to robin -- the speech you made at the beginning is so deeply moving and i think we will all miss it. the person who follows you has large boots to fill. thank you very much. i would also like to say i normally do the wind up at the end. it makes it easier. i get the chance to listen to you and distill all your best ideas and use them. but this time i am standing in fr -- for angela eagle. and i'm glad to be starting at

the beginning because at the end, we have heard your fabulous speeches and even though it is your first time, you will be stunned by the contributions. they are short, they are polite, they are to the point. they are always a pleasure to listen to. we are looking forward to a very high standard of debate. i would also like to say a few words about the scottish referendum. we have seen, just like in the chamber, we have seen 16 and 17-year-olds taking very seriously their franchise. the door has been opened and cannot be closed. i think it is unfortunate we will be going into the next general election without 16 and 17-year-olds. i hope sincerely it is the last time we do so. william spoke of his conference speech.

while william was wowing his party conference, i was busy parting company with my school on not very good terms. these days, people call it a difficult transition to adulthood. in those days, we just called it being expelled from school. [laughter] william and i have taken opp0site paths to getting here but both of us know what a privilege it is to be here and to serve our constituents in the best way we can. i am saying this because every year i come here, and every year i'm struck by how different you all are, what different walks of life you represent. it does not matter what school you come from. you come from all sorts of different schools and backgrounds. but over the last few years, the types of people who have become politicians have narrowed significantly.

we have a lot of people who come from a background where they went to school, studied politics and become advisors to mps before becoming mps and ministers themselves. i think having some people in parliament who know what they are doing is a very good thing. but i think it would be very nice to widen the spectrum just a little bit. i think we need to widen the field of candidates and widen the kind of life experiences people have. politics is more than just about making speeches. it's about people we meet and the people who influence our lives. i hope when you go back to your constituencies and you use the experience you have gained here today that you use it to enrich the lives of not just yourself but all the people around you. i wish you good luck and hope

you can live up to the high standard the u.k. youth parliament has set in previous years, so i will sit down and listen to your speeches. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed for what you said. during the day, i will alert you to the presence of members of parliament and a moment ago, i think she slipped out of the chamber, we were joined by a liberal democrat member of parliament for wells. but i want at this stage to mention the present in the official's box, which we don't

normally referred to of stephen bend, the son of the late and great tony bend who served in parliament for the best part of half a century. stephen is regularly in and out of this place, campaigning on courses dear to him and he loves parliament. his father served parliament with great distinction and without fear or favor. it is a pleasure to be joined by you. thank you for coming and sharing your interest in and respect for the young people. now i call ellie endersen to read a messge from the prime minister. [applause] >> welcome to the house of commons and congratulations to you all. this year, he have engaged a

record number of young people to debate a topic you're today. over 870,000 votes were cast, a a clear demonstration that young people want a say on the matter that to them. 2014 is a particularly historic year as we commemorate the centennial of the first world war. it is right you have chosen to pay respect and mark the occasion. it is our duty to honor those who have given up their lives for our freedom. it is right that your voices are heard. it's an excellent opportunity to make your voices heard and the parliamentarians to listen. we are very much looking forward to hearing from you. i wish you all the very best for a great day in parliament and i

hope the experience will inspire you to become a permanent resident of this house in the future. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed for those words. we have also been joined by a conservative member of the parliament up there in the gallery. thank you for showing your support. members will now make speeches to commemorate the centenary of the start of the first world war. at the end of all of the speeches, i think there are 13 of them, i think there will be appropriately a minute silence. first, call from the east midlands, mr. eddie fenwick.

[applause] >> without a doubt, world war i was one of the most terrible events to have ever affected europe must history. i would like to pay tribute to my grandfather who bravely fought for our country in the first world war. he was in france when he was c -- gassed but survived. 11,409 did not return. it is hard to believe at the age of 16 my great grandfather to war. could you imagine a teenager just like you and i being faced with a world war?

it seems unimaginable. we must member these brave men staked their lives so we could live our today. for this reason, we will always remember them. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. next, from the east of england mr. brandon municello. >> i'm from the east of england. the first world war was fought on a colossal and previously unimagined scale. those who fought did so forking and for country and we should never forget them nor their sacrifices. the east in england, in common with all the british isles, was devastated by the first war. bedfordshire and hard for sure lost close to 6075 soldiers. the individual conflicts, many

families lost more than two members. this is only a fraction of those lost in the whole of east of england. in hertfordshire, one family sent six brothers, two uncles and a cousin. only one of the brothers and cousins returned alive. this is one example of the devastating effect first world war had on families. the first world war was the most devastating war of its kind. a nation bereft and a family grieving -- those soldiers did not die in vain. because of them and their sacrifices -- we live in relative peace. one of the enduring legacies -- that war should never be repeated on such a scale. [applause] >> thank you. now, from london, i called ms.

hannah morris. [applause] >> my name is hannah morris. get the kettles boiling and brew up some tea. what better to lift spirits? four officers and 100 soldiers had the duty of firing join or miss guns too heavy to be pulled by horses. he fought in many battles and watched the british advance from his position. germans had constructed deep stuctures. they brought down their machine guns and mowed them down. the descriptions are not poetic. i'm receiving news of his best

friend's death, he simply wrote "such a good fellow." he was 24 when world war i began. leonard parent and was my great-grandfather. by the and of the war, many lessons were recorded at the end of his diary. number four was my favorite -- there's nothing i would not put up with provided there was a good object in it. [applause] >> these are very moving speeches indeed. next, from the northeast of england, i call miss annabelle cooper. [applause]

>> i would like to start by saying how proud i aim to represent the northeast and pay our respect to world war i. the great war had a major impact on life in northeast. there were 51 battalions during the great war. every day places we go on holidays. this makes it the second-largest regiment in the u.k. frederick thompson repeatedly risked his own life to save his comrades. they achieved 67 battle honors.

december 16 1914 is scarred in their mind. it claimed 100 12 civilians, nine soldiers, and 340 buildings. destroyed in scarborough, and whitney. the society we live in now, and we would not be here if it weren't for them, i would like to end by saying "lest we forget." [applause] >> thank you. next, from the northwest of england, mrs. rose warburton. [applause] >> thank you. in every generation stands those who stand apart.

they raise your hands, they put on the uniform and they lay their lives on the line. during world war i, thousands were recruited from the northwest. in one street alone, 160 men signed up from just 60 houses. some of them joined the other quarter million boys to be under the age of 19. in this centenary year as we remember their stories, we should member those boys who became men and return home heroes. women in the region were mobilized and took on the jobs of supplying our soldiers with the goods they needed. women were fighting in munition factories or entering the coal mines or making gas masks or producing glass for the portals of submarines. they also stood up to protect this nation.

to our veterans, to the fallen and their families, there is no commemoration, and attribute and no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and sacrifice. so on behalf of of the whole of the northwest and every other person in this chamber, we say two simple words -- "thank you." [applause] >> thank you. next, northern ireland, i call ms. neve hoffey. >> i represent northern ireland. one of the greatest war poets spoke the lines it is sweet to die for one's country.

i believe the first world war tends to be recalled through rose colored retrospect. i see an irreplaceable loss of fathers, sons, cannon fodder jingoism and tales of our boys will never make up for the deaths a cause. when i think of the countless lives lost, the grief stricken families, the innocent civilians, the ordinary people picking up pieces of a mess they did not create. so on this centenary, it is time to learn from the past, not repeated in iraq or afghanistan or sit idly by. it is time to stop looking for heroes and start looking for peace. thank you.

[applause] >> now i call from scotland miss haley collins. [applause] >> thank you. i am an myp for northeast scotland. i could tell you that as many scottish soldiers died as there are grains in a square inch of sand, but that's not much use because the image you have in your head is that of sand. who do those reins of sand represent? who are the people behind the poppies? they are ordinary people who did extraordinary things.

they represent william angus who was shot 40 times while rescuing an unconscious comrade from the battlefiled, who remarkably survived. they represent walter sinclair smith. but they don't just represent soldiers. they represent those left behind. people like elizabeth cranston. elizabeth would visit her local railway station every single day waiting for the return of her four sons. none of them came home. for a small nation like scotland, war is devastating. we suffered twice as many casualties per head as england and over a quarter of our servicemen died.

when you put on your poppy, i urge you not just to think about the tens, hundreds, the thousands, but to think about the walters, the williams, the daniels and the elizabeths. those individuals are what wearing a poppy is all about. thank you. [applause] >> i now call from the southeast of england ms. angel layer. [applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker. i represent kent in the southeast. kent and the rest of the southeast were heavily involved in the first world war. on the 14th of april, 1917 edward oliphant lost his life

fighting for our country. most of my family was unprepared. my great, great uncle, hero, is one of the many heroes who lost their lives in the first world war. if i were to ask you what you are doing on the sixth of august of this year, what would be the first thing to come into your mind? on the sixth of august, 1914, in my town, the mayor organized a committee to protect civilians in the event of an invasion. the hospital in kent was opened, supported by local donations and provided accommodation for 52 patients. next tuesday, the 18th of november, when you are getting ready for a long day ahead, i would like you to reflect not only of the generosity of these kent citizens but the citizens all over the country who donated money, food, or shelter to keep

their town safe, the citizens who cared for the wounded and heroes who fought for our country. [applause] >> angel, thank you. we now turn to miss ellie james from the southwest. [applause] >> thank you. i am ellie james and -- imagine you are on a train platform and you're saying goodbye to someone you love and you say "see you next week." during world war i, there was no next week. you would never know if they would return at all. my granddad, a serviceman and his wife of 53 years have had countless goodbyes. each and every one ending in rivers of tears. imagine the tears falling knowing your man was going to

war, a war being fought on a scale no one had ever seen before -- world war i. imagine this thousands of times over, the great western railways were the witnesses time and time again. these trains moved troops, but horses, ammunition and medical supplies. the driving force of war. many of the 80,000 employees volunteered to fight. the women had to step into many of the male positions. so often coping with their own grief and continuing to maintain the war effort. swindon became one of the largest railway manufacturers in the u.k. thanks to the women. many, like my nan were left behind. they form the community. the iconic image of the train pulling away from the station with waving troops out the

window is one often associated with world war i. the more humbling image is the train pulling in the same station with hundreds of wounded soldiers on board. lest we forget. [applause] >> thank you very much indeed. now from wales, let's hear from joanna stallard. [applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm so honored to be standing here today representing wales. so many events affected wales during the first world war. one impact is the legacy left behind by a young soldier known by many in wales by his nom de plume -- under this name, he won

the chair in the royalty service festival for his outstanding contribution to the welsh language through poetry. he was not able to claim his prize because he passed away but for the ceremony took place. culture is massive and wales and it's a long-held tradition where people enrich themselves culturally in music, recitation and the arts through the medium of welsh. today, it's crucial in wales in promoting bilingualism and creating a society in which the welsh voices amplified. headwinds not only contributed to this that he gave his life for his country and his people. today, many people pay homage to him by visiting home in north wales in which he was raised, to see the chair dedicated in his honor for his outstanding contribution and many value and

spend much time engaging with his poetry in wales. he was an outstanding influence to wales and to britain. [applause] >> joanna, thank you. now from the west midlands, i call mr. josh carpenter. [applause] >> irreparable damage is an understatement. loss of life is an understatement. and it will all be over by christmas was the understatement of the century. when britain entered the first world war, all regions of the u.k. pulled together for a common goal -- to support the war effort. a maternal great great-grandfather of mine, george marx, served in world war i and when the good conduct

badge. at 32, he was on the higher end of the age spectrum. but he served with a feeling of patriotic duty to five for the country he called his own. a farm laborer by trade, he enlisted at the local office and in 1915, christmas eve, he was deployed to the western front. thankfully, he returned safely albeit with the flu and pneumonia, but safe nonetheless. not every soldier's story ended with a welcoming home. for many, the last fight they saw and were prepared to die for was this fight. the midlands had a powerful effect on world war i and how it was fought. a little less exciting but as important were eggs -- 500,000 eggs were requested weekly by

the soldiers on the front. eggs were provided from farms and sent to the front line. there were many other services that help the allies and push them to be the powers but there were two major name. the midlands and every the region in the u.k. were absolutely instrumental in helping the allies win the war. [applause] >> josh, thank you very much. now, from yorkshire let's welcome aisha ahmed. >> hello. the first world war affected all parts of the u.k. and impacted from communities across yorkshire. the vast yorkshire steer industry grew vastly during world war i.

one company was converted to make ammunition and produced over 6 million shells. the national projectile factory started production well ahead of schedule, unlike others in the country which were delayed by shortages. by the end of the year factories produced over 2.5 million shells and by 1918, the workforce was 87% female and had expanded to 2693 people. december 16, 1914, the german navy attacked causing 130 fatalities and 592 casualties, many of whom were civilians. this was not just an isolated incident. the great war lasted four years, 14 weeks and two days.

the duncaster region lost 400 men. we should strive to never forget the events that happened. they are more relevant today than ever before, especially in the current combat going on. those men in service during world war i fought and died to protect our civil liberties. so we should honor them by and training them in our memories for generations to come. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. members of the youth parliament i hope i can ask you now to give an especially warm and heart of welcome to the person who is going to speak to us on behalf of the army welfare service. ms. annemarie down. [applause]

>> thank you, mr. speaker. my name is annemarie down, representing british forces germany. to the young person of the british forces, i find it really hard when my dad or friend deployed to a military war zone for half a year. i cannot begin to fathom what families felt during the first world war with their parents and friends deployed for its entire duration. many misunderstand the poppy as a glorification of war. i've where it out of respect for those who die in on a national tour. but -- unimaginable horror. due to this very respect and hope, the army has launched the

initiative "operation reflect," encouraging military units to commemorate the war in a variety of ways. there was a football match between british and german children as a reminder between the famous -- of the famous football match between british and german troops. the symbol of the poppy for me is about those on tour as well. i will be forever grateful when my dad came home. thank you. [applause] >> annemarie, thank you. we will now observe a minute's silence.

>> thank you. welcome back. order. order. the youth parliament will now consider the third motion of the day, entitled "better work experience and careers advice," as printed on the order paper. to move the motion, i call on the east of england, ms. chloe stevens. [applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker. richard anson, alan sugar both

started work at the age of 16. jack: started an apprenticeship at 14. they in manifest themselves in work at an early age, acquiring teamwork and communication skills. do we have the skills? the government claims our education is more diverse and better prepares us for life than ever before. yet, 76% of employers say we are not ready for work. schools want us to quote shakespeare. employers want us to have soft skills. if the aim of education is to prepare us for work, how do these things become so detached? work experience was made optional in 2012, burning the bridge between education and work. now, 67% of companies save young people lack communication and teamwork skills. why is this?

school is structured so you are surrounded by people your own age. life is not like this. in the workplace you must work with people of all ages and backgrounds to get the job done. when you learn to drive a car do you learn through. ? would you learn to play football through a book? you learn these things by actively doing them. so why do we not learned work skills through work experiences? ukyo -- ukyp needs to do things by working with schools and businesses to create a poker -- program around acquiring skills and networking. work experience of -- has the ability to inspire people. when shopping, we try before we buy, making us more excited about product.

the same principle can be applied to work experience. if we get a taste of the career we dream of having, we will be more motivated and work hard. if we have no goals, we have no reason to strive to achieve our potential. without work experience, the vast majority of young people are not able to break into the work environment network. work experience would give all young people the chance to start building their own networks and their own futures. next year's election year. mp's are looking to form what they stand for, and we need to make sure work experience as part of this. with effective work experience everyone is a winner. young people get good quality experience. employers have experienced workers. and schools have inspired students. these factors make the campaign achievable. we need our education to prepare

us for our working life. we may be able to quote shakespeare, but if we cannot communicate and work as a team, thou shalt not have a chance. [laughter] the question is work experience. to be, or not to be? you decide. [applause] >> chloe, thank you very much. that was a dramatic start to our debate. thank you. to oppose the motion, represent british forces overseas youth service, please welcome allen -- ellen char. >> thank you, mr. speaker. how many teenagers have had quality work experience?

were your expectations reached when you enter the workplace? we set expectations too high. we are disappointed and confused about what we have taken away. in the last 12 months, youth unemployment rates have drastically fallen. between june and august this year, 468,000 young people have been recognized as being out of work. where has it gone wrong? it is not the lack of work experience. over 95% of people today have had some sort of work experience, however miniscule. work experience used to be compulsory in schools. but in september 2012, schools do not have to legally offer work experience for students. should we really change it back? the government wants us to do well.

they want us a quick for the rest of our lives. they want us to focus on building up our education and understanding the world before we are free to set a career for ourselves. we leave work experience having spent days making tea filing paperwork, rather than doing what we expected to. you may find excuses, but you need to open your eyes and realize we can only experience things to a certain point. because, honestly, what else can we do? there is a really fine line between work experience and a company overstepping the mark, taking advantage of free labor. these organizations are hindering the quality we crave. this is a nationwide issue. we complain about work experience. but what defines work experience? what do we want out of it? does everyone really want --

know what they want out of this campaign? we need specifics before we can move on in a direction that will be beneficial and enable us to make a change. direction that will enable us to make a great change. companies will be burdened. 57% of companies believe young people are lacking communication and teamwork skills. we this is a problem and how we achiev skills gained through education. work experience is an issue in the u.k., but is it an issue big enough to be our main issue? how can we go about it? we cannot ignore the issue.