The recession is already damaging the hopes of thousands of young people who are struggling to find a job.
Now young people in schools could be next in line.
Today, we are releasing new research showing that seven out of 10 secondary school teachers (70%) are increasingly worried their pupils will end up on benefits, while more than one in three (37%) feel their efforts are in vain, due to high levels of unemployment.
As a former teacher myself, I know that they do all they can to support students. It is now more important than ever for government, charities and employers to work closely with teachers to support young people who may be struggling.
Young people can fall out of the education system for many reasons - and all too often they end up feeling that they can never achieve anything.
There are thousands of young people that fall into this vicious cycle, feeling like they have 'failed' in school and leaving with few qualifications and little confidence to help them find a job in the future. This can breed low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness and sometimes even depression.
We cannot allow young people who are still at school, as well as the million young people who are struggling to find job, become victims of this recession. With the right support, it is possible for pupils to achieve their ambitions, rather than becoming a 'lost generation'.
Youth charity The Prince's Trust runs the xl and Fairbridge programmes with teachers to help young people who are struggling at school, preventing exclusions, improving grades and giving them the skills they need to find a job in the future. We work with schools across the UK to give young people intense, structured support - helping prevent truancy and helping them gain qualifications and employability skills.
I met one young person recently who had experienced a family break up and tragically had to come to terms with the death of a parent. As a result he began to truant from school, developing problems which took control of his life.
His teachers recommended that he join The Trust's xl club and the change in him was remarkable. Over the following two years he built up his skills and confidence and his attendance reached almost 100%. He passed his GCSEs and is now studying IT at college - something he never thought he would be able to achieve before.
It is young people like this that we need to support to ensure that they are well equipped to move from the education system and into a positive future.
Without the right support, we risk seeing a generation of lost young adults joining an ever-growing dole queue.