In many western countries we have a problem with teenagers. Many have lots of spare time with little to do. They have no status. I am talking about those who are between about 14 and 18 years old. Not all cultures are like this. For many - perhaps the majority - this age group forms a significant part of their economy. Not so in the West. Far from having a virtuous group that add value to the economy we have teenage louts that cost us money.

Of course, the vast majority of teenagers are NOT louts and never will be. This is a minority, but a damaging minority at that.

Western countries (and many others, no doubt) have had a shameful history of exploiting the young. Years ago, children were sent down mines, under (and even inside) dangerous machinery and up chimneys. Because they were smaller than average they could get to nooks and crannies that adults couldn't reach. Charles Dickens did a great service in highlighting some of these practices which thankfully are a thing of the past. The problem is that, now that these practices have been banished, we have thrown the baby out with the bath water. We have denied teenagers the right to earn some money, get some work experience and get a running start in a career. Worse of all, we have an army of teenagers with no status in society.

In the UK, for instance, where education is very much academic-based, we have the ridiculous spectacle of 15 year olds sitting at the back of class, not engaging with the lesson at all and completely wasting their time. There are many kids out there who should be getting on with something they can do (and can learn to do) that are being force-fed Shakespeare or something equally inappropriate. The madness of this is that government and education authorities scratch their heads wondering why these kids sometimes behave in a disruptive manner or even get themselves into trouble with the police. Don't get me wrong, there is no excuse for such behaviour and it should be stamped on, but let us at least recognise that if we do not assign any kind of status to youngsters - and what better status than doing a worthwhile job - then it is likely that we will create an underclass of the disenfranchised. Saying to them: just sit things out at the back of class until you are old enough to leave school is ridiculous and such a waste of their lives. Surely we need all sections of society to be part of that society and not be pushed away.

Academic work is only one aspect of working life. There need to be do-ers out there who make things and mend things. We can't all be accountants, architects or civil servants: someone needs make the money for the accountants to count. Someone needs to build the buildings that the architects design. I'll exaggerate to make the point: Shakespeare is a hobby, but producing things is for real.

Let us make sure all the protective measures are in place to ensure that youngsters are not exploited in any way and then let's at least make sure the law allows them to work either part time whilst still at school, or full time as an alternative to school. Let's give them the status that they have a right to expect. Then see how petty crime and vandalism amongst this group suddenly drops.

Now, I have a job for some of them, if they are interested. There are some companies out there with electronic fly killer machines that appear to be working but are ineffective. This is because, although the attractant light is throwing out visible light, the ultra violet emissions from the light have degraded to nothing (this happens after about a year of continuous use). So, perhaps some companies who have fly killer machines can employ some teenagers to use our UV Light Meter to test their fly killers. I'm sure Dickens would approve even if Shakespeare would not.