Metro Bank has partnered with the consultancy firm BAME Recruitment in order to promote diversity and inclusion in their company. According to BAME Recruitment, they are “working on ways to better attract and retain staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, Female Leaders, people living with a disability and other diverse backgrounds.”
Workplace diversity is essential because it encourages people from different backgrounds to work together and combine their experiences in a productive way. It also ensures that groups of people are not excluded from certain sectors based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or background.
Aside from the societal benefits of a diverse workplace, evidence shows that diversity can help grow a business. A study conducted by management consultants McKinsey and Company shows that companies with a higher level of representation than the national average can outperform other less diverse companies by up to 36 per cent.
As of 2019, 50 per cent of Metro Bank’s Executive Leadership Team were women, and the company as a whole was about 40% white. BAME Recruitment promises to build a “truly inclusive working environment” where “everybody can be their authentic selves” and be proud of who they are.
Simi Dubb, Director of Colleague Experience and Inclusion, has said that they are “proud to partner with BAME Recruitment as they focus on social change and will support us on our priorities towards being the UK’s best community bank,” adding that “Both (Metro Bank and BAME Recruitment) have a shared vision, putting people at the heart of everything we do.”
Metro Bank is the most recent company on a long list of clients. BAME Recruitment is already recruiting for many major organisations, including Aldi, Capitol One, Bank of England, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and more.
Actor, model, and entrepreneur Andrew Cooper has started a range of businesses, involving fitness, cold-pressed juice, and even pet shop in Notting Hill. Now, he’s taking what he’s learned in the industry and putting it into a new men’s grooming brand called The Fellowship. We talked to Andrew to find out how he’s done it all.
Andrew got his start in modelling, before he started his first business. He remembers how it happened almost by chance.
“I originally came to London to be a singer, and while doing that I ended up falling into the fashion world,” Cooper explains. “I got stopped in the centre of London and asked to join an agency.”
After he entered the fashion industry, Cooper was taking about 200 flights a year travelling the world. In his travels he became inspired by the different ideas and ways of doing things he saw abroad. This sparked his entrepreneurial side, which runs in the family.
“That side of me has always been there,” Cooper continues. “My dad had a lot of businesses too, mostly around food. My Grandad was a butcher, and he took that business, turned it into frozen foods, and ended up selling it on to Campbells.”
Cooper started his first business at the age of 21 when he opened up Mutz Nutz Pet Boutique in Notting Hill. He wanted to transform the pet shop from the typical dark, dusty atmosphere into a high-end, clean, modern business. He launched a line of all-natural grooming products for pets, and the business is still thriving today, 19 years later.
The Fellowship came from Cooper’s personal experience using grooming products in the fashion industry.
“Being in fashion and film, sitting in a chair putting makeup on and prepping your skin, you begin to understand what works and what doesn’t,” Cooper explains. “I was very specific in how I wanted it to look. I’ve seen many products that are greasy and can lead to bad skin.”
He also noticed that most of the existing products were offshoots from larger brands marketed towards women, so Andrew wanted to make a line of high-performance beauty products aimed at men.
“The immediate reception has been brilliant, way better than we thought it would be, because the product has been in development for quite a long time,” Andrew said.
This is not the first time Andrew has worked with skin and hair care products. His first venture into the sector stemmed from another business of his.
“I have a juice business called JuiceMan, and I was turning the pulp into various byproducts including body scrubs. That was six years ago. As I explored that with the apothecary that we work with, we started to look at other products as well.”
Andrew takes inspiration for his businesses from trends around the world. He believes this approach is effective, but he also warns against assuming something that works in one country will work in another.
“We look at markets like America – and for example New York and LA tend to be ahead. Any time I go to LA and hear something that people in the industry are talking about, I know that I can try that product and I know that we’ll get there in the UK.”
Despite his success, he also recognises and learns from his mistakes. “I have to say I think I slightly got it wrong with my cold-pressed juice business, because I don’t think the climate and the way we can manufacture over here can compare to how they can do it in LA. But with the skincare for sure – we’re moving at quite a quick pace in the UK at the moment.”
The Fellowship’s soft launch has been a major success – and that success took planning. One major decision to make when starting a business is deciding on how much stock to produce, and how to best utilise that initial investment. I ask Andrew how he makes that call.
“I think it’s the hardest part. The problem is that you can’t just flip a switch and turn it around – typically there’s a six-week lead,” Cooper explains. “We were incredibly cautious about whether we’d sell out, so we overbought stock initially. I come from a juice business with a product that goes off in four days, and now we have 18 months, so I’m not too worried.”
Cooper’s years of experience as a business owner and entrepreneur have given him the skills needed to succeed in new ventures like The Fellowship. We asked him to give some advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs who are just starting their journeys.
“I think you always have to love the market and the space, and you have to understand your niche. I like to always be passionate about the project,” Cooper says.
That passion can sometimes come at a price. According to Cooper, many young entrepreneurs will start businesses which are not viable, and not realise until it’s too late.
“Never start a business until everyone wants to put money in it. I see a lot of people who find funding to be the hardest part, but if you’re finding funding hard there’s a reason,” Cooper explains. “It’s too easy to start a business idealistically, and that can be the problem with passion.”
According to Cooper, early warning signs that a business will not succeed come in the financials and business plan. If they are not clean-cut and easy for investors to get behind, a project can hit a roadblock. His closing advice involves setting a direction for the business and ensuring that your expectations are sound.
“You have to figure out what you want to do,” Cooper says. “If you want to make money, there’s loads of money in coffee. There’s loads of money in pizza. The simple ideas are usually the easy ones – but if you want to bring something original to the market you’ve really got to make sure that your financials are realistic. If they are, people will buy into it.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom survived the recall election on September 14th which could have caused a great shift of power in the state – but how did it come to this, and what does this mean for Californians?
California heavily favours Democratic candidates, and Governor Newsom is a progressive who is much hated by the GOP. However, groups across California managed to gather over 1.5 million signatures to successfully petition for a recall election.
For working Californians, Newsom retaining power means that they will keep their $14 an hour minimum wage and strict gun control. For Republicans in the state, it means that they will continue to lobby for reduced minimum wage and gun control, which are likely to be points of debate in the next gubernatorial election.
Who wanted Newsom gone?
The California Patriot Coalition was a major source of signatures on the petition. They said that Governor Newsom “failed Californians”, and called him a “Little Tyrant”. The CPC is led by Orrin Heatlie, a retired sheriff who has been vocal against Newsom. The petition did not initially gather enough signatures within the 160-day deadline, but a Sacramento Superior Court judge made the decision to extend the deadline by 120 days due to the pandemic.
The campaign did not gain traction until the pandemic took full effect. A major driving force behind the recall campaign was Newsom’s shifting position on how best to handle Covid. This amounted to a strong lockdown in the beginning, an easing of restrictions, then more lockdowns. The inconsistency in the approach frustrated many Californians. Newsom was also caught at a Napa Valley restaurant maskless with friends during the height of a lockdown. This breaking of his own rules angered voters who then boosted the petition signature numbers greatly.
Who could have replaced him?
The frontrunner to replace Newsom in the event of a recall was Larry Elder. He is a Conservative talk show host who opposes the current Covid regulations and does not agree with Newsom’s policies which include police reform and minimum wage. If elected, Elder would have become California’s first black governor. He was the victim of a seemingly racially motivated attack last week, when a woman wearing a gorilla mask yelled and threw eggs at him. There have been reports that racial slurs were used during the attack. He has railed against the media, saying that “If (he) were a Democrat, obviously, this would be called systemic racism, they’d be calling it a hate crime.” Elder was accused of domestic violence by his ex-fiancee in 2015, which he has denied.
John Cox is a businessman who is best known for campaigning around California with a live bear. He promised to bring “beastly change”, which included tax cuts, increased police funding, and the end of Covid restrictions thereby opening schools.
Caitlyn Jenner also ran, though she did not debate any other candidates. She is a Republican who ran on a platform consistent with conservative views, which caused controversy in the transgender community over the way that Republicans have failed to protect their rights. It is not clear how seriously she took her campaign, but she was never a likely candidate to replace Newsom.
What Does This Mean for Californians?
California will keep its governor and, for the most part, return to normal. However, Newsom will only remain in office until January 2nd, 2023, and this recall election could be seen as a preview of the coming election.
Minimum wage has been a major point of contention in this recall election, with Larry Elder saying that the “ideal minimum wage is zero”. Critics of the minimum wage say that it drives up the price of consumer goods and causes a loss of jobs. With Newsom in power, Republicans will continue to fight against minimum wage, and address this issue in the next election.
Elder’s views on gun control were not aligned with those of most of the state, and Newsom’s continued governance will mean that California’s famously strict gun laws are not going anywhere. This debate will continue, as it always does, and will also figure prominently in the next election.
Overall, Newsom represents a continuing policy of minimum wage, gun control, and welfare in California, largely sticking to the status quo which has stood for many years. California, for now, remains a liberal state, and even the rise of the right which can still be seen directly following the Trump presidency was not enough to change that. At least until the 2023 election, California will continue on its current path.
My parents came to these shores in 1978. I was 11 years old and I couldn’t speak a word of English – or very few words. I was a very proud young man in the sense that I didn’t want to make mistakes in class in school with my English, so I sat in the back of a class trying to string words together to make a sentence to join in the class. Of course by the time I made the sentence in my head, the subject matter had moved on!
So the teacher called my parents and said, “Look, we think that he has a learning disability because he is really not contributing at all.” And within six months of course I’d picked up the language, and very quickly worked out that this is an amazing country where there are many people are prepared to help a young man like myself.
There were lots of mentors who have helped me in my career. I went to University College London, where I read chemical engineering. Very fortuitously in many ways, I founded YouGov which has now become one of the United Kingdom’s unicorns, and is now worth over a billion dollars. I left that 10 years ago after taking it public. I am particularly proud now to be the Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon in the heart of England, which is the birthplace and the resting place of William Shakespeare.
All this means that every morning, I wake up and pinch myself to think that the boy from Baghdad, born to Kurdish parents, has achieved this. I attribute it to the extraordinary nature of this country which offers two gifts. One is freedom, and the other is opportunity. These two things embody everything which is great about the family of nations that makes up the United Kingdom.
I am sometimes asked how I relax in my high-pressure roles. One thing I love doing – and which everyone should do – is to walk, as it’s very good for the mind. During 2021, walking has kept me sane. I actually listened to a programme on Radio 4, and there was an advert for mental illness describing how the best way to combat that condition is to walk. If you ask me the best way to unwind is put on trainers and walk to work. We’ve been in a pressure cooker this past 18 months and I think it’s good for the soul.
The other thing I do is watch box sets late at night. By far the best we’ve watched so far has been Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which simply can’t be outdone.
I’m asked sometimes which politician is the most misunderstood – I’d say definitely Theresa May. She can be amazingly passionate about a cause, especially on behalf of her constituents. I saw this in action recently. She came up to me in the House of Commons and said, “Nadhim, I really need to talk to you”. And I thought, ‘Wow, where is all this energy coming from?’.”
When I think back on what we did in the vaccines programme it was extraordinary. It was a truly impressive coming together of institutions, with the NHS at the centre of the core delivery mechanism, but people don’t know how absolutely embedded our Armed Forces were in that whole process. I particularly salute Brigadier Phil Prosser, who is the commander of the 101 Logistics brigade and is brilliant at delivering things to remote terrains and geographies around the world, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I should add that the private sector has played an equally important role, with Boots and Superdrug at the back end of the chain. At the front end DHL has done a great job delivering the vaccines to the primary care networks. It was a real coming together of the private and public sectors. That’s before you count the 80,000 vaccinators that have gone through the training programme – or the 200,000 volunteers that have come forward to be marshals and receptionists.
Brigadier Prosser described it best. He said: “Minister, we’re building a supermarket chain in about a month, and we’re going to grow it about 20 per cent every week.” And I said: “That’s right, Brigadier, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
I’ve never been a great policy man, or a think tanker. I love operational challenges, and I was grateful to the prime minister for picking up the phone in mid November, and saying, “Nadhim, I want you to do this job for your country.” It was a great privilege to do.
Of course, the press can sometimes make top-flight politics stressful. But the media have a job to do. This is a democracy. I will take an aggressive free press any day over a dictator. You only have to look at what’s happening to Russia, or the Uyghur people in China. A free press is what makes this country truly great. Is it challenging? No doubt. Can it be frustrating? Absolutely. But I value that freedom far more than I lament the challenges that come with it.
Nadhim Zahawi was talking to Emily Prescottand Robert Golding
There is nothing, you might think, particularly edifying about a reshuffle like the one Prime Minister Boris Johnson conducted yesterday. We experience all the hoohah and fandango of politics, knowing that this episode too shall soon be in the past. Who in a few months time will be able to recall how Dominic Raab made way for Liz Truss as foreign secretary (though not before securing the dubious bauble of Deputy Prime Minister)? Who but a few scarred parents will remember how Gavin Williamson was moved for Nadhim Zahawi?
It was an image of the here-today-gone-tomorrow nature of British politics. Writing for the BBC, political editor Laura Kuenssberg remarked: “With no one strong ideology other than a desire to win, it begs the question of what it’s all really for.” Of course, success always has a certain sense of being for its own sake. It must be admitted that there is a kind of confusion at the edge of life, as to what any of it means.
And yet Kuenssberg has a point. There is something befuddling about the British system. Zahawi had spent 2021 delivering a successful vaccine rollout programme and acquiring knowledge in that area; overnight he is asked to master the complexities of the British education system – but more than that, to run it. Likewise, Steve Barclay, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and on the eve of the autumn Spending Review, was moved to be Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Will he maintain a hand in the process he has presumably spent some time planning? His new duties are likely too onerous for that.
The necessity of the political moment can be exciting; it has the flavour of Shakespearean drama. Many pundits, swept along by the excitement of watching it unfold at close quarters, add to the giddiness by reaching for the most theatrical language imaginable. We hear of a Night of the Long Knives, and a ‘purge of the wets’, when what we are witnessing is more mundane than our news media would allow us to admit.
But as much as there is thrill here, it also opens up onto a problem which reaches into the heart of policy-making. Limited staying power is also in evidence at the civil service. Ewart Keep, a Professor at Oxford University, explains a problem at the Department for Education: “Every time you turn up there for a meeting it’s a room full of people who can’t remember the last meeting,” he tells us. It’s this lack of long-term thinking which is worrying. Compare this to the single-minded focus required to succeed in business and it’s clear why we sometimes find ourselves lamenting our inability to plan for the future.
And if you ever attend a fund-raising dinner you’ll see these different mindsets dramatised. Donors who have seen many prime ministers come and go sit back, knowing that they’ll attend the next dinner no matter who the prime minister is. Meanwhile ministers and advisors move around the room with an energy which feels temporary. They might own this moment, but will they even experience this room next year? And if that’s the case, are they really so powerful in the present as they seem to think?
Who’d be in politics? A successful business achieves lasting change in a way which is getting harder and harder to come by in Westminster. At Finito, we have many students whom we are happy to help in their political careers, but we would always hope that this route is embarked on with a commitment to principle. “Those are my principles and if you don’t like them – I have others,” as Groucho Marx once joked. In fact, a firm commitment to bettering the lives of others is the only thing which makes the uncertainty of top politics bearable.
So yesterday’s reshuffle is a reminder of the hurdy-gurdy nature of politics. This is theatre, and as Sir David Lidington once told us, there’s a possibility you’ll be ‘pelted with tomatoes’ at the end of it, as Robert Jenrick , Robert Buckland, Raab and Williamson all were yesterday.
If you’re thinking of politics, be sure you don’t want to do something else. Certainly, there is world of difference between success which is meaningfully tethered to some good, and success which opens up only onto itself. If you pursue the former you can’t fail; if you pursue the latter, failure is inevitable, because it will all have been for nothing in the end anyway. That was the lesson of Johnson’s reshuffle, and it wasn’t a pretty one.
New research from approve.com has examined the growth of companies, showing which are on track to reach a valuation of 1 trillion dollars.
Currently, only five companies have reached the benchmark (Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, Amazon, and Alphabet), but more companies are set to surpass $1 trillion by the end of the year.
Tesla has shown a very high growth rate, averaging an increase of 124% per year. Tesla is currently valued at $584bn, but they are on track to surpass 1 trillion by the end of the year according to the study.
Facebook and Chinese tech company Tencent are also on their ways up, with growth rates of 40% and 97%, respectively. Facebook’s growth rate is not as great as Tesla or Tencent, but as Facebook is already valued at $947 billion, they don’t have far to go.
Researchers also looked at what the fastest growing sectors are based on the same annual growth data. They’ve found that telecommunications is in the lead, with the automotive and entertainment industries following close behind.
One driving force behind the growth in telecommunications is Comcast, with a growth rate of 187%. Tesla’s success has led to growth in the automotive industry as well, despite the recent hit that industry has taken due to the pandemic.
The pandemic has also driven up internet traffic and led to the growth of streaming services, so entertainment companies such as Disney and Netflix are also growing fast. Netflix, with a growth rate of 74% annually, has greatly benefitted from the rise in home movie streaming.
Approve.com’s projection puts Comcast on track to reach $1 Trillion by 2023, while Netflix will have to wait until 2024. Disney, currently valued at $322bn, is projected to reach the mark by 2030.
We are most certainly living in unprecedented times and many will have read in the national press about medical conditions being left undiagnosed or treatments being delayed as a direct result of Covid-19. This is especially true of mouth cancers and it is, therefore, entirely appropriate that we promote mouth cancer awareness alongside the highly regarded Oral Health Foundation (www.dentalhealth.org).
According to the Foundation, 8,722 people in the United Kingdom were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year. Equivalent to someone being diagnosed every hour of every day, this puts mouth cancer as the 15th most common cancer in the UK with the majority of these cancers being associated with the lips, tongue or soft tissues inside the mouth. Two-thirds of all new cases are seen in men with over three quarters being in those over the age of 55.
Interestingly, lifestyle factors are key to the development of mouth cancers with long-term tobacco use and high levels of alcohol consumption being amongst the most likely causes. Alongside this, there is a strong research focus into the sexually transmitted human-papilloma virus as being another major causative factor. Some also make reference to a poor diet or rough teeth being linked to mouth cancer but the evidence is weaker and genetics or a suppressed immune system may have a stronger role.
In contrast to so many other medical conditions, we tend to approach our doctors with a problem and ask for their opinion or advice. The same may be true for mouth cancers where we are aware of a change in our mouth and we consult our doctor or dentist. However, it can be so very different for most mouth cancers in that we may not be aware of a change and see our dentist for a check-up every six or 12 months and a key feature of this regular check-up is that it should also include a mouth cancer check.
As part of this regular check-up, and having looked at your teeth, any restorations and your gums to check that all is fine, your dentist may then turn their attention to checking your lips, tongue and all the soft tissues inside your mouth for any changes such as an ulcer that has not healed, a new lump or swelling, or a red or white patch. Should such a problem be identified, this might be reviewed for a few days or referral to a specialist colleague may be suggested for possible imaging and, sometimes, even a biopsy to take a more detailed look at the soft tissues.
More often than not, it is absolutely nothing and all heals well. However, on the rare occasion where a problem is identified, the earlier a diagnosis is made the better and subsequent treatment might involve a number of specialists in different fields and one or more of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery may be required. If any teeth are involved and need to be removed, these may need to be replaced to re-establish one’s appearance on smiling and the ability to chew. If you, a family member or someone you know has mouth cancer, specialised counsellors and therapists are available to help and support the whole family.
The take home message from this article is a really strong but reassuring one: visit your dentist regularly, it’s about so much more than just your teeth and gums – and with an early mouth cancer diagnosis, treatment can be very effective with little in the way of long-term health problems. To put things into perspective, over thirty years in clinical practice, I have identified three such mouth cancers early at routine check-up and all three patients are doing absolutely fine many years on. Your dentist and your dental practice are safe – do not let Covid-19 interfere with your general health and well-being!
Professor Andrew Eder is a Finito mentor. He is Emeritus Professor and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute. Professor Eder is also a Specialist in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics and Clinical Director of Specialist Dental Care, a specialist referral practice in central London. For more information, please visit www.restorative-dentistry.co.uk, email andreweder@restorative-dentistry.co.ukor call 020 7486 7180.
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In 2021, I embarked on a study of the perceptions, experiences and viewpoints of UK law students in the time of COVID-19, and would like to share my findings with Finito World readers. Some of the results of the study are not unsurprising and echo findings in other education contexts. The findings are grim in places, and include the impact on student mental health; the perception of 2020/21 being a ‘lost year’ for undergraduates studying at the height of the pandemic; and student dissatisfaction with the reduced socialisation. The role of technology in facilitating learning, brought many benefits but was not without its challenges.
Unsurprisingly, students expressed fears about the infection and its impact on their studies. The fear of illness was interesting as it centred much more on the negative impact of being stuck in a tiny room in isolation than fear of the disease itself, which was logical given the age and risk profile of those students studying at undergraduate level.
No student discounted the significance of the health crisis or said that they did not adhere to the imposed lockdown and social distancing regulations. The impact of the pandemic on mental health was recounted by all students. This is not surprising and consistent with other studies, such as those conducted by Al-Rabiaah in 2020, and Khalid in 2016, which link epidemics with fear and high levels of psychological distress. This pandemic was especially stressful in that it has occurred suddenly and under circumstances where the participants have little control. Here then are some of my findings, with some anonymised quotations from the students themselves, detailing for readers relevant experience.
The study was conducted in March -May 2021 and developed as a pilot to inform more detailed qualitative research, based on ‘free form’ responses to a questionnaire. The questions included: (1) what were students’ expectations of studying before COVID-19; (2) what were students’ experiences of studying through COVID-19; (3) what were students’ concerns about studying through COVID-19; (4) what was students’ use of technology; (5) what were students’ perceptions on the impact on employment and career progression; (6) what were students’ perspectives on how higher education institutions can best support students studying remotely Participants in the study were students studying for a qualification in law (or a subject with a law-related module component) at four higher education institutions in the UK. The institutions reflected a range of organisational formats including traditional campus-based and one which offers exclusively online tuition as well as mixed online and face-to-face courses.
Students have shown admirable resilience
Pandemics tends to present a risk of students withdrawing from their studies altogether. The good news is that there was no overwhelming evidence among the small sample reviewed that students were disengaged with their studies and students showed resilience in dealing with the situation. One student did however note that they had decided to defer – though in this instance, had done so optimistically.
The results also indicate that students are divided on the highs and lows of studying in the pandemic. Accepting the sombre context of the study, students were able to appreciate some positive elements. Some were grateful for their universities providing agile online support, compensatory tuition or additional social activities. Others illustrated an ability to focus on other dimensions of university life particularly peer collegiality, and they focused on fostering a sense of community during a difficult time. Some reflected on greater contact with family; efficiencies from remote studying; and an affirmation that studying in the pandemic was an achievement in itself.
The in-person experience is missed
On the other hand, there were some real lows – most regretted the lack of a full university experience. This was especially acute where students were told by others who had studied in more normalised times that they were missing out. This in turn seemed to occur along two lines – the lack of freshers’ experiences which students had been looking forward to, and the imperfect experience of remote learning. Many of course experienced both of these anxieties simultaneously.
“Online teams meetings work well but there is no substitute for meeting a tutor in person and having a lively discussion.
“I was expecting / hoping to meet more students and tutors face to face in tutorials and be able to have discussions with them in tutorials and outside of tutorials. The pandemic resulted in all contact being either audio only (or in some students’ cases, text only) with no use of the video facility.”
Many students put community before self
Throughout my research, the students’ own value and belief systems were apparent. Many told me that they had engaged in pro bono activities, as part of a recognition of the need to put others before self. I often found myself impressed by their courage.
Remote-learning was largely viewed positively, but not universally and the digital divide is a problem
Technology as a learning tool was largely viewed positively. Students recounted their investments in technology to deal with the pandemic as well as online support from their institutions. This issue in turn raises a question of the digital divide where some students may not have adequate financial resources to access technology. While online learning has developed in ways which may have been scarcely credible pre-pandemic, some students however expressed preference for in-person examinations. The role of technology outside the curriculum was also significant as a partial substitute for student-led initiatives to achieve a sense of community and maintain their social networks.
“While studying through COVID-19 I have been concerned about my mental health while also dealing with the mental fatigue of having to work and study from the same space for long periods of time with limited outdoor access.”
Many students are concerned for their futures
In spite of the point above, many students voiced concerns about the impact of the pandemic on achievement in examinations linked to the online environment. Even so there was a repeatedly expressed silver lining here: many students saw the experience as fostering skills that would be transferable to the workplace. Some felt it would develop resilience, others that it engendered new skills or interests.
Many students are worried about the availability of suitable work experience and opportunities
A recurrent theme was the impact on work experience opportunities caused by limited access to networking opportunities, the reduced benefits of online internships and more general limitations of interacting online. Of course, this was also linked to the impact on students of difficulties in the global economy, leading to a smaller pool of jobs than has been typical. Even so, the experience of post-graduate students was largely neutral on career progression for the simple reason that such students tend to embark on study more for the intellectual content of the course than for purely employability reasons. In such instances, the qualification was an end in itself.
“Further, if this had been my undergraduate degree, when the “experience” was more important to me, I would have been disappointed to have been part of the generation that attended university during the pandemic.”
The quality of institutional response was mixed
Opinions were divided as to how well institutions supported students through the pandemic. Prompt interventions in providing online support and continuity were applauded and students praised their tutors in dealing with the situation and adapting their delivery and materials. Where criticism was voiced, it was more targeted at the faculty or institutional level. This manifested variously as a need for greater sensitivity to mental health concerns and complaints about a lack of effective communication.
Value for money is a primary concern
While most students demonstrated a philosophical approach to the situation one respondent highlighted a concern with the level of university fees. Although this was not addressed directly in the written responses I observe that the issue of paying for rent for unused accommodation has been very galling for many students. There is a belief that students didn’t receive value for money and this imbalance will affect those who are least able to pay:
“While understanding that the costs of running the university largely virtually are high, it is nonetheless frustrating that university fees remain the same/are rising when students are unable to make full use of the facilities and may not even be on campus for much of the time. This will also be the harshest on those who are already suffering more from the pandemic itself.”
There’s a lot we can do to improve the system
As far as I am aware this is the first qualitative study in the time of COVID-19 that has been undertaken involving law students. Throughout the study it became clear to me that while lawyers tend to develop throughout their careers to a remarkable extent, a lot of this resilience is developed in higher education environments. This raises the stakes and makes me surer than ever of what we need to do to protect students and ensure the future health of the next generation of lawyers and our profession, now and for the longer term.
I would like to hope that this modest study may serve as a catalyst to inform research that can contribute to the design of student support strategies and provide a more effective learning environment during and after a time of crisis. To facilitate better understanding to inform evolving strategies, it is important to have a comprehensive insight into students’ dynamic perceptions, feelings and experiences in a crisis. This study could also be an incentive to education institutions and the academic community to undertake further research in this area in the UK and elsewhere.
A series of recommendations, emerging from students’ own responses are outlined in the box opposite.
Box: How to Improve Law Student Experience in a post-COVID World
Provide effective online support
“Replicate what [Institution] is doing, especially with [online] library access.”
“I think it’s best to make sure everything required is online.”
Institutional flexibility in assessment methods
“I think [Institution] was very supportive in providing [assignment] extensions. I never used one but it gave me confidence that it is there if needed.”
“Answer emails quicker, as I missed many assignments and an [examined assessment] due to being overlooked at one of the worst points of my life.”
Support students’ mental health
“Higher education institutions can make it known to students what kind of support is available so that students are aware of the support while they are in difficulty rather than when they are in crisis.”
Greater sensitivity to special needs including disabilities and carer responsibilities
“The only thing I feel is a shame is that the [final examinations] were cancelled. I felt there was no need to do that as we had plenty of time to complete them. I was working from home, trying to home school 3 children, one of whom has special needs and none of whom have English as there first language.”
Assistance with tuition fees that targets genuine need and a long-term view of investment in learning and development
“If possible, financial support for those who require it.”
Greater preventative measures including planning, response strategies and preparedness in relation to health crises
“The uncertainty experienced by students would be well remedied by having events to look forward to: I think the lack of structure and non-academic events to look forward to has been one of the failures of universities generally.”
Consideration of the needs of international students with remote-learning better reflecting disparities caused by time-zones
“Prominent examples [of lows] would be having to return home instead of staying at university accommodation due to governmental regulations.”
Greater opportunities for face-to-face contact where permitted by public health regulations
“Have as much face-to-face time as possible and perhaps once a week drop in sessions where students can talk about things that they need help with rather than having to wait for emails.”
Greater coordination of centralised and decentralised institutional communications
“The best way universities can support remote study is good communication.”
“Communication from “the top” has been poor. It would have been better for those at “the top” to have held a meeting earlier on with students in order to set out their views and thereby help to steer the ship in the right direction, including by preventing any misinformation from spreading.”
Student engagement in decision-making which affects them
“It is also important for HE institutions to regularly check in with students as for many institutions this form of working is new and it is more useful to catch any gaps in their approach early, but it also allows students to feel more in control of their experience as they have a say in next steps.”
If you want to know more about these summary findings, and further research projects in the area, as well as upcoming publications, contact Suzanne Rab (E. srab@serlecourt.co.uk; M. +44(0) 7557 046522).
Professor Suzanne Rabis a barrister at Serle Court Chambers specialising in regulatory and education law. She is Professor of Commercial Law at Brunel University London, a law lecturer at the University of Oxford, and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. She is an expert panel member of the UK Regulators Network, a member of Council of the Regulatory Policy Institute and a non-executive director of the Legal Aid Agency.
Three years ago I moved to Hong Kong to work as an education consultant and during this time the city has changed in a subtle way on a day to day basis, and in a momentous way when you contemplate its future. In my role I have unique insight into the long-term plans of families as we discuss their children’s education and have noticed several trends with regards to the attractiveness of the UK, which has traditionally been the destination of choice for schools and universities.
The political change in Hong Kong has had a limited impact on schools for now, but parents do seem concerned about how this might change over time. International schools have greater autonomy than local schools in terms of the curriculum but the unpredictability is unsettling and has unnerved parents who had not previously planned to move away from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong nationals born before the 1997 handover were always eligible for BNO passports which gave visa-free UK visiting but not the right to live and work there. In response to the recent law changes, the UK government upgraded the BNO status allowing Hong Kongers to apply for a visa that provides a route to UK citizenship.
Crucially, this visa also provides the dependents of BNO passport holders the right to attend state schools for free and for whole families to relocate together. Before this, the only option for families without the right to live in the UK would be boarding school which provides students themselves with a study visa. But with costs of around £40,000 a year this was unattainable for most. It also meant being separated from their children, which, pre-Covid was manageable. But during Covid this has been very stressful for families. This was highlighted recently when flights from the UK were suddenly banned on July 1stleaving many students separated from their parents for the summer.
Using their BNO status to relocate the whole family to the UK has become a popular option. Only time will tell how many of these enquiries translate into actual moves; the UK government predicts 300,000 over five years. That said, the grass isn’t always greener and the cultural and language barriers may prove challenging for some when it comes to finding jobs and settling in a UK town. In Hong Kong you can get to most places within 30 minutes, taxis are dirt cheap and many families have a live-in maid for around £500 a month. When faced with the realities of an across London commute and the cost of childcare many discover that life in the UK isn’t quite what they expected.
Before the BNO visa was an option, when I asked families about their reasons for considering educating their children in the UK, the answer often centred around universities and the tradition and prestige that is acknowledged worldwide and therefore translated into good employment opportunities. In 2020, there were over 7,000 applicants to UK universities from applicants in Hong Kong – a 50 per cent increase from 2010. With the increased competition, families started to consider boarding school in the UK at younger ages to try and maximise the chances of a successful university application.
Great social and political pressure is being placed on Oxford and Cambridge to reduce the percentage of successful applicants that attend private schools which may change the perspective of parents trying to maximise their children’s Oxbridge chances. A parent who selected a school such as Winchester College for their son six or seven years ago may now be disappointed with the Oxbridge results which will have decreased considerably during this time. Arguably, this will not affect students applying from Hong Kong as they are classified as international students and therefore do not contribute to the private school stats. But in fact, there are several schools in Hong Kong which can boast better Oxbridge numbers than many UK schools and so savvy parents may re-think their UK plans.
University rankings are often referenced by parents in my conversations with them, with future employment correlated with the university reputation and ranking. While this is historically true, it will be interesting to see how this changes over time with many big companies using blind recruitment processes to mask an applicant’s background and placing greater importance on the skills rather than name of institution.
A lot has changed in Hong Kong, and for now the UK is still a very popular destination for both schools and universities. With the rapid social and political change in both places it will be interesting to see how this evolves in the next few years.
Christopher Jackson interviews the founder of impressive start-up Plum Innovations, a company with the wind in its sails
The young Edtech company Plum Innovations is one of the success stories of the pandemic. When you talk to its founder Ji Li, you soon feel pleased for him: there’s always room in the world for unassuming and competent leaders.
Plum’s business is to assist its client base – which consists of an impressive range of 14 primary schools – with their Edtech delivery.
Li comes from Shanghai, China and has seen the business which he founded as a sole trader in 2014 in grow by word of mouth: “I was working for a school and the head teacher recommended me by word of mouth.” He had soon incorporated Plum Innovations and has now grown the business to four people.
So how does the business work? Li works with schools to set up their Google systems and make sure that the teachers are confident with Google Classroom, a system which, Li argues, has many benefits: “It’s really powerful, but it’s also cloud-based, and it’s secure,” he tells me. “In addition, it’s free and teachers can access their files remotely regardless of where they are.”
Li points out that his business is especially helpful to teachers now that there has been an expansion in multi-academy trusts which means that teachers have to work in different schools. “That definitely gave a push and means that people realise what benefits they can derive from cloud-based platforms,” Li explains
Clients were helped through the pandemic by Li and his team. “My wife and kids flew to China in January 2020. Then Chinese schools switched to remote-learning in February,” Li recalls. “The government announced that schools were moving to remote-learning. So I was able to provide my clients with warning and the right infrastructure to cope.”
Li has a scrupulously polite and efficient manner, but beneath the unassuming demeanour this is also a fierce advocate for making sure teachers are empowered by technology. You get the impression he really wants schools to function better – and knows that Plum Innovations is able to make that happen.
“That’s the difference between us and other tech companies,” Li says. “We want to give teachers the power and the ability to use technology themselves.” Li doesn’t want anyone to walk away from these sessions without a greater sense of excitement not just about technology but about teaching generally. “We work closely with computing leaders so teachers can be trained with necessary digital skills as much as possible. In return, we have learned a lot from our teachers too.”
Li is also animated by a keen social conscience. During our conversation, he repeatedly expresses his concern that those in disadvantaged backgrounds lack access to technology: “Parents don’t have enough knowledge about how to work, and so we have been helping schools deal with parents as well.”
Plum Innovations remains a small company – Li even calls it a ‘micro company’, and the firm has no grand sales operation, even though it has won several awards. “We basically just try to do a good job, and then grow organically.”
When discussing the overall impact of the pandemic, he says: “Remote-learning cannot replace class-learning at all – you need to have in-person interaction from the teacher. We need to move towards blended learning, where you use the time at home to memorise or understand theories – then put them into practice in the classroom.”
Once you’ve finished talking to him, you realise that Plum’s success isn’t just to do with technical knowledge and smart delivery systems: it’s to do with the fact that Li has a passion for education.
