That is the conclusion of a study by the Prince's Trust about the feelings of three quarters of a million young adults - no job, no chance of a job, and if they have a job, no prospects.
They have been conned:
Conned by the education establishment into thinking that a 'D' or an 'E' is a pass when business people are not that happy that a 'C' is of any worth.
Conned into believing that six months' training is an 'apprenticeship' that makes them a 'boiler engineer'.
Conned into doing a degree when it is patently obvious that there are only a limited number of positions where a degree is really needed.
Conned by the media into the belief that if they want something badly enough it will come to them, so they queue for Britain's got Talent or X-Factor.
Nobody, in the lives of these young people, has had the cojones to tell them the truth; and anyone who ever tries is shouted down, from on high, because the truth is not what they want the people to hear.