More than 80 per cent of apprentice applicants 'unemployable' The damning indictment by part of the Arnold Clark empire of car dealerships, which started in Scotland and has an annual turnover of more £2 billion, last night prompted more questions about the country's education system. Opposition politicians said Mike Russell, the SNP Education Minister, and Angela Constance, the Youth Unemployment Minister, must start listening to employers. The latest official figures show more than a fifth of young people are out of work. GTG Training, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arnold Clark that oversees the group's apprenticeship programme and all internal training, said more needs to be done to prevent the "unsaved majority" experiencing a lifetime on the dole. In a submission to Holyrood's finance committee, which is investigating youth employability, the company concluded: "It is desperately sad and thoroughly disheartening to hear professional recruiters with 20-plus years experience of employing school leavers describe young Scots as unsuitable for any employment. Yet, that was the case for 81 per cent of our applicants. The company, which took on 121 apprentices last year, said the single largest problem was the difference in working hours from school to employment. The average youngster wanting an apprenticeship with Arnold Clark described a "maximum of 18 hours in class per week, extended holidays and little or no access to extra-curricular activities." Their concept of what consists of a "working week" was found to have deteriorated even further if they enter further education. "We are increasingly concerned at the State-Sponsored Babysitting nature of some college programmes rather than the specifically-targeted vocational training ... we believe taxpayers" money should be being spent on," the motoring group said. GTG Training urged ministers to involve the quango Creative Scotland, which oversees the creative arts, to try and "engage" youngsters. The company suggested that having businessmen or academics carry out this role would not work. SNP ministers have pledged to tackle the youth unemployment epidemic by creating 25,000 modern apprenticeships a year, with all 16 to 19-year-olds offered a learning or training place. But Kezia Dugdale, Scottish Labour's youth employment spokesperson, said efforts to tackle youth unemployment had been undermined by cuts to college budgets. "The SNP Government needs to listen to employers to ensure the young people leaving our schools, colleges and universities have the skills required to meet the demands of a tough labour market," she said. Liz Smith, Scottish Tory education spokesman, said: "It is very concerning to hear that many of our young people are lacking such basic attributes at a time when the economic conditions are so challenging." But Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said the company's depiction did not match the young people he met, most of whom he said were "keen to work."