Thursday, June 9,2005 @ 1:05am
iPods offered as incentive to complete job-training
One UK college is using iPods as an incentive for students to complete special job-training classes. Forbes.com reports that Bournemouth and Poole College is offering students Apple's popular digital MP3 music player if they complete courses aimed at helping them find work. The program is called "Step Up For Summer" and has been accused "bribing" students. "The people who are organizing the course must feel the youngsters don't really want to go, otherwise they wouldn't feel it was necessary to offer them iPods," Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education. "It tells teenagers they don't have to do anything unless they are getting a sweetener." According to the report, a college spokeswoman argued that school had to use the program to bring back "disaffected" students, giving them "an incentive to get them back in to learning."