Sir, – Further to Ann Marie Hourihane's "Most tourists want to hear the real Dub accent" (August 29th) on the Learning for Life programme, Diageo is the ideal company for it. After all, as Guinness, it has a track record in youth employment going back to 1901. Initially confined to the sons of Guinness employees, it was not long before it became an open competition. The Guinness exam, as it was called, continued until 1968, at which stage free secondary education rendered it surplus to requirements.
The Guinness exam became an institution in working-class Dublin. Over the years thousands of young men between the ages of 14 and 15 sat the exam, and some 4,000 to 5,000 were successful, and went on to work there in different parts of the company.
However, not content with providing essential job experience, the young men were expected to continue their education. The company paid the fees for whatever area of education chosen, and success in the particular exams was rewarded.
I sometimes feel that there is a case to be made for some version of the above: it is quite clear that a significant percentage of teenagers are not academically inclined and frequently drop out of school early. A scheme similar to the Guinness exam might be a way of giving these young people an incentive to work and study.
In conclusion, may I wish the 15 people on the “Learning for Life Programme” continued success. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM MULLEN,
Ballyroan,
Templeogue, Dublin 16.