I'm involved in a similar scheme in NZ, though ours isn't nearly as well supported. I hold a music degree so am eligible for a thing called Pathway to Arts and

I'm involved in a similar scheme in NZ, though ours isn't nearly as well supported. I hold a music degree so am eligible for a thing called Pathway to Arts and Cultural Employment. Basically it's the Unemployment Benefit made less annoying and "get-a-job-like" and more positive, "sort-yourself-out-then-go-do-it"ish. It's been great for me this year. After graduating uni the jobmarket for my other degree was beyond uninspiring (Marketing and Comms, double degrees are quite common here), so having had a few friends go through the program I decided to look into it. I also met some guys from a local tech startup community who provided me, free of charge, with an office and internet. It's been great. I will never, ever regret this choice. I'm about to launch a start-up (admittedly, this is not my govt. sanctioned business, though they do know about it - the scheme is more designed to help you survive as a contractor/small business operator) and am now set up and comfortable to go and earn money as both a contractor and a businessman. I'm also encouraging all my friends who are eligible to try and do this instead of finding a job. I'm now smarter, more savvy and far more useful to society and myself than if I'd spent a year in a boring entry-level job. These types of schemes are great for people like myself who get bored easily and always need to be challenged with learning new stuff, however my experience would not have been the same had I not also been involved with the startup group. I think for them to work well they need to be deeply connected to business groups like this, otherwise you're just doing it by yourself and likely to lose motivation. I guess it's really the ultimate private/public deal in someways. The public sector is very good at dispensing money to support the welfare of its people, but not very good at teaching them how to be good business people. If you can create a combination of this then schemes like this should be a cheap win for societies looking to produce a more entrepreneurial and confident population.