To help us think about what is needed to create a long-term vision and plan for education in England, Carl Ward (FED Chair), hosts a series of ‘In Conversation With’ videos with significant influential individuals to help move our thinking forward.
This week we are delighted to present our latest instalment with the inspiring Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive at the City & Guilds Group and a FED Council Member. Kirstie is accountable for the external influencing of the broader skills agenda across Government and Ministers. Their recent report ‘Act Now to get Britain Working Again’ highlights a recurring theme ‘the Government must give UK regional economies greater autonomy over skills and employment’. Their Act Now report was compiled following a series of in-depth roundtable discussions with a cross-section of Metropolitan Mayors and LEPs, regional business leaders and educators.
In this shrewd conversation, Kirstie outlines some of the key findings of their most recent ‘Building bridges towards future jobs’ which builds on the #ActNow report and that her hopes and aspirations of a long-term system focus on a lifelong learning entitlement. Kirstie speaks passionately about how learning needs to be ‘brought’ to adult learners, who may not know where to go and that flexible modular learning needs to fit around the lives of learners. Kirsty also talks about how at a system level there needs to be a move towards regional and local level, a grass routes movement, to be more responsive to their individual local needs.
To watch more of our ‘In Conversation With’ videos, please click here.