How to shake hands and make eye contact - the lessons preparing pupils for the world of work

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. How to shake hands and make eye contact - the lessons preparing pupils for the world of workImage source, /Ann GannonImage caption, Ati - in her cadet uniform - says she has valued learning the art of a good job interview, including how to introduce herselfByKate McGoughEducation reporterPublished51 minutes agoThere is a sudden buzz of conversation in a Year 10 class as teenagers split into pairs, sit down opposite each other and start conducting mock job interviews. It is not for a forthcoming exam. These 14- and 15-year-olds at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College are working on skills that should help them when they leave school and try to enter the workforce.

Today, they are learning the art of a successful job interview. Around the room, pupils are practising firm handshakes and making good eye contact. They are rehearsing how to answer questions that you might expect to be asked in a job interview, such as "When was the last time you worked in a team?

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" and "Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work". None of them has even reached working age yet, but in forthcoming lessons they'll also be learning about how to write a CV and what their rights at work are. It is all part of dedicated career lessons that they get every fortnight alongside their usual classes.

There are nearly a million young people across the UK - one in eight of all those aged 16 to 24 - who are not in education, employment or training - or Neet - according to the latest estimates. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called the high number both a "moral failure" and an "economic catastrophe". Image source, /Kate McGoughImage caption, Pupils at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, in Cheshire, learn how to do a good job interview from Year 10 This week, a major independent review, carried out by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, is expected to set out how the government should tackle the issue of Neets and make recommendations about getting more young people into work.

Some suggested changes to the welfare system have already been announced, but schools are expected to be asked to do more to make sure pupils are "work-ready" when they leave. Any new recommendations will build on plans the government has already announced to allow students in England to choose new vocational GCSEs from age 14. 'Not too early' for interview practiceAti is 14 and says she has been learning things about job interviews she did not know before.

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"How to speak to people. How to present myself to different people," she says. "Like the fact you have to walk into a room and introduce yourself.

I didn't think you really had to do that, but I think that's a good new skill that I've learned. "Fourteen-year-old Myla says Year 10 is "not too early" to be practising job interviews. She says: "In two years we'll probably start looking at part-time jobs.

It definitely helps with nerves and that kind of stuff if you've done it before and tried it before.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.