Below is a resource that I produced for the old Edexcel 'A' level specification on the subject of the "Ten Pound Poms" scheme, which was introduced in the 1940s to reduce a skills shortage in the country. There were mixed experiences of the scheme, and this was the focus of a BBC 'Timewatch' programme.
Ten Pound Poms
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This DAILY MAIL article describes the lengths that people are going to, to secure a limited number of £10 one way air tickets being offered by STA travel: cue the pictures of tents pitched on London pavements....
For more on the original scheme, visit this OPEN UNIVERSITY page.
Comments
If you start raising your wages and improving working conditions, and continue to do so, you'll solve your “shortage” and will have people lining up around the block to work for you even if you need to have huge piles of steaming manure hand-scooped on a blazing summer afternoon.
Re: Shortage due to retirees: With the majority of retirement accounts down about 50% or more, people entering retirement age are being forced to work well into their sunset years. So, you won’t be getting a worker shortage anytime soon due to retirees exiting the workforce.
Okay, fine. Some specialized jobs require training and/or certification, again, raise your wages and improve benefits! You’ll incentivize people to self-fund their education so that they can enter the industry in a work-ready state. The attractive wages, working conditions and career prospects of technology during the 1980’s and 1990’s was a prime example of people’s willingness to fund their own education.
In the second paragraph and elsewhere, out of interest, who do you mean by "you" ?