Mar 18, 2021
The unemployment forecasts are yo-yoing a bit at the moment, but what we do know is that the conservative estimate of 6% of UK adults being unemployed following the Covid-19 pandemic will disproportionately impact those at the start of their career as well as the over 50s, mainly women. Boris Johnson has announced a pledge of life-long learning for all, as well as cash incentives for employers to take on apprentices, trainees and young people through the kickstart scheme. But Further Education and careers education seems to have been the bête noire of the last few governments. Over 50% of adults enrol in vocational or technical education at some point, most employers rely on it to measure their staff’s knowledge of specific subjects, and it is a lifeline for many of the people who need bespoke support (eg. the niche skill professions, people with additional needs, the elderly, the unemployed, the imprisoned and on). So why has it been so drastically underfunded for decades, and so scoffed at as the scruffy relation to a university education (which is undertaken by c. 32% of adults)? In this After Corona episode, we’ve got a few personal reflections from people on a mission to help people find meaningful learning pathways to work, and for that work to be accessible to everyone - not just the well-heeled or well-connected. It is a subject that we're particularly invested in, at always possible, and have spent years trying to navigate as the system is so very messy. Our guests are speaking on behalf of themselves not their organisations, but have a breadth and depth of knowledge on this issue and are speaking from the heart about their own lockdown experiences and what they think is going to happen in the world around them. Contributions have been collected from across the past 10 months. Elizabeth Bailey is Head of Careers and Widening Participation with Medic Mentor - a non-profit organisation trying to open up careers in medicine and veterinary surgery to people who would not normally consider it. Sam Rhodes is the Employability and Skills Project Coordinator for East Sussex County Council, following his time as Head of the Careers Service at the University of Brighton. Debbie Bennett is the manager of the Essex and Suffolk Children’s Universities which aim to raise aspiration from a young age in the East of England. And Nick Fenn is the Principal of Aldridge Adult Learning, with two decades in further education in the UK and as an English language teacher in many other countries. We wanted to know what they thought the pandemic had done for their work and what might come next for people looking for work. But first, as ever, we asked them who they are and how they are feeling right now. --- Useful links: https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/universities/essex-childrens-university/ https://aldridgeadultlearning.com/ https://careerseastsussex.co.uk/ https://medicmentor.co.uk/ — For more information on how you can get involved with The Possibility Club – an inclusive community of professionals working out what’s next, have a look here > www.thepossibilityclub.org You can also receive Finding Chances, a free weekly letter from Richard Freeman, looking behind-the-scenes at business, culture, community and education by signing-up at www.findingchances.substack.com/ We’d love to know what you think of this podcast. Please review and share your responses to this podcast on your favourite podcast platform. This is an always possible podcast (www.alwayspossible.co.uk) Produced by Lo Fi Arts (https://christt.com/consultancy/)