Overcoming the challenge of getting economically inactive adults into work - Kevin O’Hare
Among all the categories used to describe the UK’s more than nine million ‘economically inactive’ adults, there is one that jumps out, and in a truly sobering way. The Office for National Statistics’ latest figures show that around 36,000 of the people who fall under that classification are ‘discouraged workers’ - a euphemistic term for individuals who want to work but have effectively stopped looking, because they believe the opportunities simply aren’t there for them.
That is a sad state of affairs and one that obviously demands a response, which is exactly why our college will be moving part of its provision into a town centre venue later this year - providing a ‘front door’ on Keighley’s high street where potential adult learners can come in to find out more. Keighley College Skills Space will be fully focused on helping hundreds of adults, each year, to progress into work or further training.
Our courses will be run from Hanover Works – the multi-million pound new arts centre that’s about to open on Hanover Street, Keighley and will provide a creative hub for the district and a base for arts charity Keighley Creative.
At first glance this might seem like an odd pairing: basing a vocationally-focused further education provision, with a National Careers Service presence, in a dedicated arts space full of galleries and artist’ studios.
But that perception comes from a notion that art and industry are somehow incompatible, when the reality is actually the opposite - they are interdependent. Nowhere is that more apparent in the field of design, where creative and technical prowess combine; and just look at how important design is to one of the Keighley district’s most celebrated industries, engineering.
In education circles we use the term STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Maths) to reference this blending of technical disciplines and the arts - and the skills and behaviours underpinning STEAM, such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration, are the ones our employers keep telling us they value most.
That knowledge informs how we structure and teach our courses, to ensure we are giving students of all ages the skillsets they need to go on and flourish as valued, and adaptable, members of the workforce.
So, from our new base we’ll be offering classes covering everything from digital and IT proficiency and teaching assistant training to CV writing, community interpreting and English and maths: all with an employability focus. Our Access to Higher Education (Art and Design) Diploma, meanwhile, will provide an outlet for adults to really explore their creativity and see where it can lead them.
We are very aware, however, that the biggest initial challenge will be actually encouraging people, especially those who may have been economically inactive for some time, to overcome their doubts and take that first step of coming along to see what opportunities are waiting for them. In this regard, having a presence right in the heart of Keighley will be a huge help.
Typical educational settings, like main college buildings, can seem a little intimidating but this one should prove an inspiring, as well as accessible, place for adults to come to - they’ll be literally walking through an art gallery to get to us.
Kevin O’Hare is Principal of Keighley College.