Last night we arrived at the Holiday Inn at Westfield Stratford City. Back when I was here in 2012 the view was very different, with picturesque scenes of the Olympics Park. Today it is a bustling city thriving on the legacy of the event. Stratford city is smart, and the links with transport, economic growth and regeneration can be seen all around.
Arriving at City Hall for 08:30 it is a beautiful sunny day in London and we are looking forward to hearing from the Mayor.
True and authentic, Boris is witty and focused on Smart Cities during his speech, underpinning it all with a message on technology and reinforcing that London is the tech hub of the world. But he also raises the challenge dear to my heart around increasing the skills shortage we are facing and how we are going to leverage the talent and the youth of London to fill those gaps.
During the Café session on education with Joanna Wellman from Kings College this becomes even more apparent as we discuss the education system and the fact that the UK still focuses on a curriculum that has individuals working in isolation, and does not prepare many for work life a sentiment shared by Princess Anne (who has joined our group) and talks about the need for more apprenticeships.
But what does this all really mean to the youth and the young people of London? What do they want?
So after a quick lunch at City Hall we head off to a charity called Street League and hear first-hand from young people about the barriers they face to getting employment.
Street League is an exciting, dynamic and fast-growing charity in the UK, specialising in changing the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the power of football. The charity works with16 to 25-year-olds who are not in employment, education and training (NEET) to provide them with skills to help them be work ready.
We meet a group of young people aged from 17-25 who talk about the fact that getting a job is “hard” because they are faced with biases and barriers every day.
Imagine a world where you are judged by the postcode you live in, well that is a reality for these young people. Certain postcodes and areas are associated with “gangs” and you are judged by your address. But the barriers don’t stop there with the biggest being “experience”. Experience they cannot get because they cannot get a job, because they don’t have the experience, a vicious circle they are trying to break through volunteering opportunities, but it’s not always enough to help them get employment and not everyone agrees it’s the right approach.
What is so striking is the fact that the most profound challenge they face is confidence. The confidence to dream, and believe they can achieve their ambitions.
But before they can get to that point, there are in my mind some fundamental skills they need to help them, one being digital skills. They tell us they “hate” applying to jobs online, because they are not confident using the online applications and don’t trust their C.V. even gets read. The worrying thing is they think that “online” is a barrier, for me this is a saddening statement and worrying to hear. And it’s not about convincing them to apply for jobs online and that technology will solve their problems, but to help them see the advantageous “digital skills” can give them. If they are successful in a job, more than likely at some point they will need to fill in a form, probably online, probably linked to their job, probably a crucial part of their job.
The digital world is growing at a rapid rate and the demand for digital skills and talent is a strategic importance to all businesses. So what can we do to help young people with both life skills and digital skills and capitalise upon the immense innate talent we have in the UK?
One thing I do know is that it isn’t “smart” to say to those kids “don’t worry about digital skills”, as for me that is not smart and certainly not responsible.
We should be opening up the choice to explore “digital” as a key skill to employment, to help those kids understand what is possible; to inspire, connect and invest in them and to voice their dreams out loud.
That is what makes smart leaders, inspiring a culture of ambition, achievement and opportunity for all.
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