Columnist Richard Kirk, CEO, Workplus
Good Systems Need Less Funding A
s the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. I had a ‘first’ not too long ago – and one that was not without some fear and trepidation… the Nolan Show. I had been invited on the show in light of the headlines around potential funding cuts to the Department for the Economy budget which, if implemented, would likely impact apprenticeships. Politicians and politics dominated the discussion and I listened with interest – as well as some frustration and sadness! What was prevalent in their debate was not the impact any funding cuts to the DfE would have on apprenticeships or indeed some of the fantastic programmes made possible by funding, it was on who was to blame for the potential funding hit.
Currently there are government strategic reviews underway in Northern Ireland: education (led by the Department of Education) and careers advice and skills (led by the Department for the Economy). Whilst government and wider society will not make progress in these areas through a streaming service, there is a lot that we can learn from the Disney+ approach: usercentred, systematic and value rich.
Impressive figures! What makes it so popular and why on earth is it relevant to the discussion around education and skills in Northern Ireland?
“Well thought-out systems that solve societal problems don’t require as much funding as you might think. I can’t help but think how transformational it would be for everyone if we better combined skills and education.”
Streaming services, like any other scalable technology service, eg Amazon, eBay, Airbnb etc, are able to create and share value because of the systems on which they are built. In short, they are designed with users in mind and infinitely more affordable than each of us trying to create that value ourselves.
Well thought-out systems that solve societal problems don’t require as much funding as you might think. I can’t help but think how transformational it would be for everyone if we better combined skills and education.
Blaming leads nowhere and funding is only part of the story. What we really need to do is think about better systems. You may have read recently about Disney+ adding 11.8 million subscribers in the last three months of 2021, taking the total to almost 130 million worldwide. The firm also forecast further subscriber growth for this year.
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World-renowned leadership speaker Simon Sinek’s Start with the Why book and Ted Talk has really resonated with people. It is powerful in its simplicity and also incredibly helpful as we think about education, skills and good systems. Why education? Why skills? The ‘why’ is the same for both – for the betterment of the individual and society. I had a lovely recent reminder of the why behind apprenticeships. We had a Workplus apprentice party as part of NI Apprenticeship Week. Nothing complicated – just pizza, drinks and a chance to get together in person. Speaking with the apprentices reminded me of the why – their lives are being enriched through blending work and education. I got a sense of contentment from them. They’re on good salaries, buying cars, booking holidays, enjoying work, being mentored and getting qualifications. We owe it to young people (and wider society) to implement good systems which will be enablers – which will better combine skills and education and better equip young people. Education, skills, work, career, money… none of these are an end in themselves. The end is each of us working out our gifts and talents, using them to the best of our ability and playing our part in society – that should be the focus of government. Workplus makes it easier for both employers and applicants by providing a single place for applicants to apply, as well as offering a simple, thorough selection process for employers.
