Social Mobility, Covid and the Digital Divide

I am sure there are wiser brains than me that have opined about flexible working and the joys of remote working, anytime any place anywhere (as the old Martini advert proclaimed). In addition, corporate firms are under pressure to improve social mobility, as if this is something that can be done in isolation from government policy. But the current pandemic has thrown these topics into sharp focus and in many ways, they are related, and we ignore them at our peril.

Firstly, the transition to flexible working (in roles that can accommodate it) has been long overdue. The idea of managers only being able to manage workers who are right in front of them is arcane and if managers can’t or wont work in more flexible ways, then they don’t deserve the title. Managing by outcomes and utilising different communication techniques is part of the modern toolkit, including face to face, and those that choose not to engage with them are part of the problem.

However, for those of us enabled to work from home e.g. have the technology, space, family support, dare I say it wealth – it works well. What the pandemic is showing is a clearer divide between those who have choice, money and flexibility and those who don’t for so many reasons. This only reinforces the perception of the divide and, will decrease social mobility especially in regions of the country traditionally affected by economic decline or in modern political terms the ‘red wall’.

Social mobility seems to be the new kid on the block as far as the corporate sector goes now. Despite this focus Social Mobility is at its lowest rate for a generation. It is almost as if the Government is outsourcing a problem that is primarily policy job to its ‘friends’ in the private sector. Past evidence suggests how this works out – quite a lot of recognition for senior leaders but not much material change.

This is not to undermine the work of corporates. Good capitalism requires business to play its part in society for the benefit of communities. But as we go into an economic slump there needs to be a clear. Coordinated policy response to bridge the ‘digital divide’.

 Relying on apprenticeships to fill the skills gap in fools’ gold as companies begin to shave budgets across the board. The levy only pays for the training element not the salaries and as we face into financial hardship this will only increase the problem. I have focussed on some areas below – I am not a policymaker, but it is a starting point.

SKILLS a strategy around skills needs to be developed – this focus needs to be on access and availability and much of this investment is needed in Further Education. For decades this sector has been starved of funds. It can provide a way of reskilling and basic skills training that this country needs.

ACCESS – The decline of adult education over the years is criminal. Removing fees for adults who want/need to reskill or retrain need to be removed. If we believe that education is a path to mobility, then financial barriers need removing. This also means a long hard look at childcare and what provisions we need to make and how we ensure that diverse populations are reached and represented in the delivery of teaching and learning.

PARTNERSHIP – Industry, of course needs to be involved and need to play their part in how this funding can be secured over the long term and especially for smaller and medium sized enterprises as these organisations have not been able to benefit from the current levy and often the costs of training in a growing enterprise are challenging especially one that requires significant investment such as Engineering. In addition, collaboration with trade unions and other agencies need consideration.

We can, of course, carry on with what we are doing in the corporate sector and pat our selves on the back and watch the divide increase during the next 10-15 years and ignore the root causes of the problem.