With the start of the British school year only a week away my thoughts turn to the motivation of the young people in our high schools.

It is ironic that with one of the best education systems in the world that many of our students lack motivation and don’t want to take advantage of the marvelous learning opportunity. Looking at motivation globally it seems that the worse the career prospects of a society the greater the value placed on the educational system.

Many of our students know that they will be OK when they leave school regardless of their level of education. There are jobs, there is a good social security service for those without employment and looking at the current level of debt there is easy finance for almost anything people want to buy these days.

Although, as an adult we can see the benefits that a good education provides, it can be difficult for a high school student to associate with their own future and the real-world issues of finance, employment and generally coping with adult life.

Talking about career prospects doesn’t appear to motivate our children, and why should it - children have no concept or experience of ‘employment’. This year we might want to think about finding more immediate benefits to the school lessons we provide.

How can our students benefit from their learning TODAY? How can we sell them on the idea of using what they have learned to improve their life right now?