This Blog Post is Copyright of SEVENmile Ltd - ABN 72 630 286 636
It's mid-2020 and we're a long way from having the pandemic under control.
We're still in the early stages of economic uncertainty, perhaps even economic depression.
And consumer habits have been turned upside down.
Hi, my name's Greg Twemlow, I'm the founder of a registered charity called SEVEN mile Venture Lab that's based on Sydney's northern beaches.
In 2020 Online purchasing has grown strongly and businesses have been forced to respond with “digital transformation” plans in months instead of years.
Meanwhile, the past few months have also seen a rapid acceleration of three major forces:
deglobalization, digitization, and corporate consolidation, a euphemism for job losses.
The scenario I describe is unique and globally, there are hundreds of millions of newly unemployed people and rapidly evolving demand for fresh skills.
It's created an opportunity for the unemployed to help solve the skills problem.
With the opportunity comes an urgency for companies, governments, and labor’ organizations to join forces and offer our unemployed pathways to a successful future.
The highly respected International Labor Organization, The only tripartite U.N. agency since 1919, has recently adopted the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, calling upon its 187 member states to establish re-skilling initiatives as a joint responsibility of governments and communities.
So, what’s unique about our post-pandemic need for re-skilling:
It refers not only to learning job-specific technical skills but also acquiring core competencies like creativity, problem-solving, innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.
For example, in the current economic crisis, speed, accessibility, and a clear pathway to employment, or to business ownership, are the most pressing factors for most unemployed people.
For people in employment, global consultancy Deloitte recently reported that only 17% of companies have made “meaningful investments” in reskilling initiatives.
It's clear reskilling will be a key platform for economic renewal.
At SEVENmile Venture Lab, we've supported and mentored hundreds of people who've decided they want, or more frequently need, to design their future and create a business.
And something else about our previous life has changed--people are expected to shun long commutes to the nearest large city center.
Experts are tipping a renaissance in the suburbs, while inner cities are drained of their former life.
No-one wants to commute for an hour if it means being exposed to a life-threatening illness.
It's very clear that People will choose to work more from where they live, and spend more time in their local communities.
So working from home or nearby will be a top priority.
It's also clear that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted women, over 55s, freelancers, and minorities.
And it's these demographics that SEVENmile Venture Lab has focused on since 2018.
Sustained coordinated ideas and initiatives like SEVENmile Venture Lab will help us avoid the worst of the embryonic economic crisis and ensure a more resilient and stable economy at local, state, national, and global levels.
NGOs like SEVENmile do impactful and important work at a community level.
What's needed now is strong Government financial support that launches a SEVENmile Venture Lab into all of our urban and regional communities.
It's why SEVENmile is open to partnering with Local and State Government agencies that recognize a sense of urgency for reskilling their communities.
Our future is all about LOCAL. Keep people in their communities and give them pathways to independence and success.
Find out more about our work at sevenmile.org.au or watch the video version.
About the Author:
Greg Twemlow is a Sydney-based Social Enterprise Founder | Startup Mentor | CEO | Writer | Speaker |