Kathleen O’Hare has spent decades in education and now chairs the Skills Council, and her message is refreshingly simple: if we want young people to thrive, we must put “skills, skills, skills” at the centre of every timetable and policy decision.
Kathleen refuses to accept the old hierarchy that places academic routes above vocational ones. She recalled countless pupils who lit up when engineering projects or employer visits showed them a future beyond exam halls, and she challenged all of us—educators, parents, employers, government—to celebrate those pathways with equal pride.
In this first episode of the new Workplus podcast, Kathleen also highlights how collaboration beats competition. League tables may grab headlines, but they stifle the idea-sharing that lifts whole communities. Her own pilot at Hazelwood Integrated College, where entire year groups spent a week in workplaces, sparked immediate leaps in confidence and aspiration. Imagine multiplying that energy across every school postcode!
Of course, none of this works without a serious upgrade in digital literacy. Kathleen argues that coding, data and AI should sit alongside reading and numeracy. The pandemic exposed how far we’ve still to travel; closing that gap is now non-negotiable if we’re to compete in a tech-enabled economy.
Reform cannot rest on teachers’ shoulders alone. Employers must co-design curricula, politicians must back skills-led funding, and families must recognise every child’s unique talents.
Kathleen’s call is an invitation—to build an education system that measures what matters and prepares our young people, not just for exams, but for good, meaningful work.
