THE HAGUE, 04/06/03 - Young people aged between 16 and 18 should first build up social experience before they enter employment or further education, according to a group of prominent Dutch people. They are urging voluntary work placements in healthcare, the police or voluntary organizations.

Army Colonel K. Gijsbers, sociologist P. Hofstede and J. Kieboom, an advisor to former Premier Ruud Lubbers, presented their social training plan in The Hague yesterday. They received support from Herman Wijffels, chairman of the influential Socio-Economic Council (SER) advisory body, who believes that young people should behave more like active citizens. The plan was floated earlier by the assassinated Pim Fortuyn.

According to the initiators, the government could send one-tenth (14,000 young people) of school-leavers annually to work experience placements for four months at a cost of 143 million euros. "We must offer young people an alternative to back-packing in Australia to orient themselves to society and their future occupation," Kieboom declared.

To encourage them to voluntarily take up placements, school-leavers should receive an allowance equal to the minimum wage. Additionally, making them more attractive by enabling students to earn credits by doing them could be considered. For young migrants, the work experience could foster integration, according to Kieboom.

The initiators commissioned research bureau NIPO to question 16 to 18 year olds about what the target group itself thinks about the plan. Two-thirds termed it "rather fun" or "great fun. " Financial group ING chairman E. Kist has already promised the initiators to finance a number of work experience placements at the Dutch Red Cross.