As the lockdown measures put in place to protect us from coronavirus start to ease, hopeful individuals are starting to speculate about what the new normal might look like on the other side of the pandemic.
COVID-19 has been an unprecedented shock, both to our lives and the world economy, and while some industries have boomed through the crisis, others have struggled for survival, leaving many people concerned for the security of their jobs. Throughout our 170 year history, NCFE has played an instrumental role in supporting the economy through times of hardship. As an example, our reskilling programmes helped thousands of former colliery workers back into employment following the closure of the coal mines in the 1960s and more recently, our qualifications and educational services supported people at all stages of their career back into a changed labour market following the economic crisis of 2008.
Taking these basic principles and applying them to the present day, were committed to supporting the education sector through this period of uncertainty to help people bounce back after COVID-19 and prepare for the future, in whatever form that may take.
One of the key challenges that Government faces in trying to get the economy back up and running is how they can safely do so while maintaining some social distancing measures. This same challenge applies to educational settings where in some instances, classrooms are built to accommodate groups of up to 30 learners at a time.
While early suggestions to address the problem included remodelling classrooms and workplaces to make social distancing possible, a more feasible solution and altogether more likely possibility, will be an increased reliance on digital delivery methods.
This is particularly relevant when it comes to adult learning, as demonstrated in the #EducateWhileYouIsolate campaign which we worked on with our premier partner, Learning Curve Group. Yielding over 20,000 enquiries from individuals across the country, people have been choosing to spend their time in isolation gaining new skills and knowledge to support them when trying to find a new role, or simply when returning to work once they are safely able to do so. As the ever-present threat of another outbreak of the virus continues to impact our day-to-day lives, this boom in digital services and solutions will continue across multiple sectors, and may very well alter how certain industries, including education, operate altogether.
As requirements and delivery methods for schools, colleges and training providers change to meet the new demand for remote learning, centres and Awarding and Assessment Organisations alike will need to provide a level of flexibility to support this unplanned-for version of the future and keep things moving forward.
NCFE recently published a discussion paper in partnership with Campaign for Learning which addressed the likely impact of COVID-19 on post16 education, the economy and labour market. Warning of a very different September, the paper makes a number of recommendations on how to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on jobs, apprenticeships, youth unemployment and adult retraining.
With subsequent reports from the Resolution Foundation and Education Policy Institute (EPI) reaching similar conclusions about the scale of the problem facing policy makers, the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions will need to come up with a plan which offers a “different mix of provision and financial support” to meet these challenges head-on and ensure that no learner gets left behind.
NCFE has always strived to be at the leading edge of technical and vocational education. By staying plugged in to the needs of learners, the economy and the sector, we remain focused on the development of key qualifications, online resources and innovative digital applications to support teaching and learning in this new world and help the nation back into work.
Our primary responsibility, is and always will be, to our learners, helping them to achieve their goals and improve their life chances through education. By continuing to develop our digital offer, were empowering individuals to take control of their own learning as a means of either upskilling to meet the renewed needs of their sector, or reskilling to help them find new employment in the post-COVID economy.
Another key factor in supporting the nation back into work will be through the development of meta skills, such as adaptability, resilience and problem solving. These transferrable skills are vital to each persons wellbeing, as much as they are to future work and career opportunities, particularly as many prepare to work in different sectors and in our new normal.
Combining all of this together, we are doing all we can at NCFE to actively prepare learners for what lies ahead as the world we knew starts its long road to recovery.
