In the last couple of months, we’ve managed to build a hospital in nine days, processed around 1.5 million universal credit claims which is seven times the usual levels, and successfully launched a scheme to pay most of the wages of one in 10 workers at a monthly cost of around £12 billion.

The scale and speed of policy response has been extraordinary, though of course we can always do more and do better. It’s also been necessary, given Learning and Work Institute research which shows that the sharpest spike in unemployment on record has wiped out five years of employment growth in just one month.

We need a similar scale of ambition when it comes to learning. The prime minister has said he wants to fire up the engines of the UK economy when it’s safe to do so: let’s do the same for learning and employment.

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Wouldn’t it be great if we took this opportunity to make a step-change in improving the basic skills of the 9 million adults who have low literacy or numeracy? Roughly one-half of people out of work would benefit from doing this, increasing their chances of finding work and building a lasting career. 

Shouldn’t we make sure the health service is flagging the benefits of learning to people’s health and wellbeing during the current social distancing restrictions, making greater use of social prescribing?

Couldn’t we invest to avoid a pandemic generation of young people with poorer education and employment prospects? This could include extra support to restart stalled progress in the numbers gaining level 3 and prevent a sharp autumn spike in the number of young people not in education, employment or training. That could mean funding longer study programmes where necessary, a push on apprenticeships for younger people as economic restrictions are eased, and increased support through Jobcentre Plus.

The next steps

I’m pleased the Department for Education has launched a Skills Toolkit, a web page which signposts to some existing online literacy, numeracy and digital skills provision. But this must be a first step to a much bigger ambition, and involve a partnership with local authorities and others. And we need the next steps rapidly.

Those next steps should include:

• Campaigns, nationally and locally driven and delivered online, via local media and through local community groups, to encourage people into learning. People won’t access a portal showing them their learning options unless they are already interested in learning.
• Joint programme with the Department for Work and Pensions to build the basic and employability skills of unemployed people.
• Widening access so that people can access online provision. It’s great that DfE are loaning laptops to some young people. Why not do the same for adults accessing basic skills provision and who lack a computer and/or good internet access?
• Broad approach to learning, recognising the range of topics that people are interested and the range of ways people can access learning. This is not just about courses and basic skills, it’s also about YouTube tutorials on everything from baking to keep fit. All of these can bring benefits to people, and spark of a wider interest in learning.
• Blended delivery so that people get support from tutors and build a community with fellow learners. Lots of existing online learning does this, how can we encourage it further?

Ultimately, we need to help people through the ongoing social distancing restrictions. Widening participation in learning can help to do that – improving people’s employability, widening their career options, building community cohesion, and boosting health and wellbeing.

Let’s set ourselves a much higher ambition and make sure we build back better.

Stephen Evans is chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute