Why I'm excited to Chair the Future Skills Programme

Much like the photo above, I constantly feel I could be doing more.

More good. Making more of an impact.

For those who know me, you'll know that I care a lot about equal access to education and I am an advocate of lifelong learning. I studied economics and graduated in 2007, but I have learnt more since being out of education than while I was in it. There is much to be said for throwing yourself in the deep end and learning on the job.

I suppose that was the first draw when I heard about The Future Skills Programme that Harvey Nash had launched. These are the things that caught my attention when I had a conversation with Victoria Payne, Director of the Future Skills Programme, for the first time:

1. The candidates get a paid job from day one of training. The number one fear that anyone has when making an investment into any form of training is the return on that investment. It's scary. It's even more worrying if you are making significant personal sacrifices to do so. So yes, they got my attention straight away with that. I wanted to know more about the types of companies these people would get to work with. Harvey Nash works with some of the most exciting technology firms. Small, Medium and Large Tech companies. I thought it was exciting that the cohorts could be mixed. So you could be learning alongside someone is placed in a startup and someone in a large tech firm.
2. Who's it for: career-shifters. This made me very excited! With my Mums in Tech background and from meeting extremely talented people from all sorts of backgrounds who were ready to hit the ground running, it makes perfect sense. It's exciting that so many businesses truly see the opportunity to the business to gain invaluable knowledge from a diverse talent pool. I love the idea of doctors, teachers, an arts student or even a dancer deciding that they want to work in tech.
3. They can learn flexibly. You all know me and how championing flexible working is very important to me. So knowing that this would be at the heart of the training was very exciting to see. If we really want to attract the right people, we need to think about what we can do to ensure they're actually able to complete the training and bring their best selves to work. I know how productive I can be in the right environment when given the trust to perform. There's no reason why it can't be the same for an apprentice.
4. There is extensive mentoring support. I can't emphasise how important mentorship, especially to someone making a huge career leap. I wouldn't be where I am without the support of the many mentors I have had over the last 3 years. You all know who you are and I am forever thankful. With the network at Harvey Nash and resources from companies like Cajigo, who offers on the go mentoring and skills development from senior business leaders, the Futures will be given the tools they need to succeed.

So now you know why I am excited, I hope you are too and I would love your support to ensure as many career-shifters as possible are able to access the programme.

I am chairing the first Future Skills Lunchtime Panel on the 21st of November at Huckletree Shoreditch and would love you to join me if you are as passionate about change as I am and want to see tangible change in your organisation. You could be in the Diversity and Inclusion team, HR team, Marketing or just feel that it's time to try something different and you want to contribute to the discussion.

I'll be speaking to an expert panel and diving into the pain points in getting companies on board with tech apprentices and how we can change that perception going forward.

If there's anything in particular you'd like me to ask the panel, please let me know.

You can find details of the event here.