9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(0:56 people's noises)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(check who) 1.17 We've got one hour[br]and a quarter.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(confused voices then 1:31) How do we know[br]when these things are going to be turned on?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(confused voices, then1:58) What? OK? [br]Right.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Chairperson 2:03) Ladies and Genltemen, [br]can I ask everyone

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to take their seats, please?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're about to begin, [br]so if you're visiting the bar,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
can you charge your glasses and return [br]to your seats, and then we'll begin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We've got an hour and a quarter[br]for this debate.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
OK, can I -- Welcome everybody to[br]the Online Educa OEB debate.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm not sure what number this is[br]in the series of debates that we've had,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think it may be getting up to our 10th.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What I can tell you is that in the time[br]that we've been having these debates

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that I've been chairing them, [br]my eyesight has now gone so bad

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that I can't possibly read any notes[br]that I have without using glasses, so

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think we must be on at least our 10th.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What I can also tell you is that [br]Online Educa itself, OEB,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this year is celebrating [br]its 21st anniversary.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So I think that perhaps deserves[br]a round of applause.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So happy birthday to Online Educa --[br](Applause) -- this fantastic conference.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And 21 years ago was a very difficult --[br]very different world indeed,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when one thinks about the scale and scope[br]of change that there --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that has taken place in the last 21 years.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
One statistic I was reading recently was [br]that in the UK, in 1994, 21 years ago,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there were only 67 mobile phones[br]per 1000 people.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But only ten years later, in 2004,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there were more mobiles in the UK [br]than people.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And that pattern of spread [br]of mobile communications alone

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
has spread across the world and [br]in Africa, for instance,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
those of you who have been to [br]Elearning Africa will have learned about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the spread of mobile communications[br]across the African continent.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So in terms of the scale [br]of technological change,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the spread of that change [br]across the world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the change in that short period of time,[br]in these past 21 years alone,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
has been enormous, and we heard about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the scale of it in the opening [br]plenary session this morning.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We live in a world that is globalized,[br]interconnected, hyperlinked

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that scale of change we're [br]experiencing, have experienced

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the last 21 years, is going to[br]gather pace and continue.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And all that is going to create a huge [br]challenge for education and training,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which is going to be at the heart

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of dealing with both the positive and [br]negative aspects of that change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And that's why the motion that we're [br]dealing with today, in this debate,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is so important, and why the whole subject[br]of giving young people the skills

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that they need to cope with [br]the challenges of this new world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that we all are going to --[br]that we are creating, is so important.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We've got four speakers, [br]four panel speakers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to open the debate this evening

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I'm going to ask each of them [br]to speak for 10 minutes,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then I'm going to --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
-- two of them will speak for the motion, [br]obviously,and two against --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
then I will throw open the debate [br]to all of you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but if you want to intervene[br]whilst they are speaking, because

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we're having a parliamentary-style[br]debate,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
then you can try to intervene on them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and if they want to take [br]your intervention,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
then they can do so, but it will be[br]entirely up to you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And if they don't, then you can draw[br]whatever conclusions you want from that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But I want to ensure that [br]we keep the flow going,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so I'm not going to let you bully them[br]but I'm going to allow you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if you want to make a particular point,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or if you want to make [br]a short intervention, to do so.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Then after they've spoken, we'll[br]throw open the debate to the floor

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and you can make your contribution,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but do please realize that time [br]is of the essence,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so please try to keep it short and [br]to the point, succinct.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is the kind of debate equivalent[br]of texting.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, no long rambling contributions, [br]because I will cut you off

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if you try to do that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, very short contributions, please.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And then I'll ask each of our --[br]I'll ask one speaker from each side

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to sum up, and then we will take a vote,[br]and we'll do that by a show of hands.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I've also made it clear [br]to all the speakers that they may

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
say things that they don't necessarily [br]want to be held to in the future,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so I hope that you will understand that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But this is an opportunity for us [br]to explore some of the issues,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but don't take it all too seriously,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and don't come and accuse people of saying[br]things that you would --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that they might not necessarily always [br]want to be held to.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
With that in mind, I'm going to ask[br]our first speaker, who is Jo Swinson.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Jo Swinson, who is the former Minister[br]for business, innovation and skills

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the UK's coalition government of[br]2010 to 2015,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to speak first for the motion.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And Jo, since leaving Parliament, [br]has begun a new career

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and is involved in an award within[br]a data intelligence company

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
called Clear Returns

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and she is an expert on the challenges [br]and opportunities of the digital age.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, over to you, Jo.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jo Swinson) Thank you very much indeed,[br]Harold.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I'm absolutely delighted to be here[br]in Berlin at OEB.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A bit of a first, actually, the first[br]technology-related conference

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that I've been to where there is a queue[br]in the ladies' loos!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have to say I was particularly pleased [br]by that, not only as a feminist,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but also as a Brit who appreciates[br]the art of queuing.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it was good on two fronts.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, this house believes that [br]21st century skills aren't being taught,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they should be, is the motion[br]that I want to convince you

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to support this evening.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We absolutely need to be equipping[br]our young people,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and indeed, people at every stage[br]of their lives,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the skills that they need [br]for the 21st century.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And our education systems, [br]and our wider society,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
have an important role to play in this.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But I will put it to you, this evening,[br]that when it comes to technical skills,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when it comes to social skills,[br]and vitally,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when it comes to capacity [br]to embrace change,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we are not yet rising to that challenge[br]sufficiently.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are very specific skills, [br]there are gaps in science and technology

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that are not being properly filled. 9:32

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These shortages are causing[br]significant problems

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for businesses, for employers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Half of engineering companies say that[br]they have delayed taking forward

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
new products or services, because [br]they have vacancies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that are so hard to fill, because[br]the skills are not there to recruit.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Digital start-ups are often in real need[br]of software developers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that they cannot find sufficiently.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And companies of all sizes, grappling with[br]cybersecurity challenges

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
struggle to have the skills that they need[br]to take on those important issues.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As Harold mentioned, I'm now a director[br]of a company called Clear Returns.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's been going for about three years,[br]based in Glasgow, and uses data analytics

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to help retailers understand the problems[br]they have with product returns

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and therefore successfully cutting [br]the costs for retailers,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and resulting in better [br]customer satisfaction.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But in our technology team of 17 people,[br]there are 12 different nationalities

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and not one of those people went through[br]the school education system in the UK,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because the skills are not taught [br]up to scratch.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now, there have been some improvements[br]and as to 2014,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
computer science has been introduced into[br]the curriculum in the UK,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but that is not the end of the matter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because 11% of computer science graduates[br]are unemployed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In fact, that's one of the highest [br]unemployment rates

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for any subject discipline,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at a time when we have a huge shortage[br]of these very skills.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Something is going very wrong [br]when that is the case.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this is not just about[br]teaching people to code.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Fashionable ....... (check) undoubtedly[br]is at the moment (check)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it is necessary that we do have [br]people who can code.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But it's not some kind of silver bullet[br]on its own.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Actually, it's the building blocks [br]that we need to be putting in place,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the things that lie before you get[br]to the point of coding,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the logic, the basic maths, [br]enhancing those skills,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so that people can put [br]those building blocks together

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and create an argument or a [br]train of thought or a mathematical proof,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or indeed, a piece of code that will[br]instruct a machine to do something.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yet our maths skills [br]are also going backwards.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A King's College, London, study found that[br]compared to the 1970's

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
young people today are significantly less[br]well equipped in the field of mathematics.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And it's also worth pointing out [br]that we are missing out,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when it comes to teaching these skills[br]on almost half of the population.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Only one in five A-level physics students[br]is a girl.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When it comes to computer science,[br]that figure drops to 1 in 10.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now, it's wonderful to be at [br]a technology conference

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where there is a queue [br]in the ladies' loos,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but even at this conference, if you[br]have a look at the speakers' brochure,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
only 8 of the 35 main speakers are women,[br]so where are the women?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We are missing out [br]on that important talent

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who will not then get in the fields[br]that we need for the 21st century

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to enable all of our economies [br]to flourish.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're also not doing well enough[br]at the social skills

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which have always been imported --[br]important,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I would argue, are even more so[br]in the context of the 21st century.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Employers have long complained that[br]they get coming into the work place

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are not yet ready for work.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have to say there is that thing [br]I've observed,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when new graduates starting out[br]in the work place

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
seem to be allergic to [br]using the telephone

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for the purpose it was originally[br]designed for.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I've lost count of the number of times[br]when, speaking to a member of staff

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about the particular project [br]that they are trying to make happen,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it seems so stuck, and I say:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"What happened when you asked[br]that person about it?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Oh, I sent them an email and[br]they didn't get back to me."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You know, for all the wonders that[br]technology can undoubtedly do

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in helping us in our working life, when[br]you want to get people to do something,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
an email is very easy to ignore, and it is[br]much harder to just put to one side

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a face-to-face person or contact, [br]or on the telephone.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And relationships are absolutely critical[br]to 21st century work places and skills:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
getting things done, collaborating in [br]teams, motivating others.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yet when we assess children [br]and young people in the education system,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it is genuinely done [br]on a pure individual basis,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not looking at how they are actually[br]operating within a drip setting (check).

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And when it comes to skills [br]in terms of relationships,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
something like personal, social[br]and health education, which I would argue,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is absolutely essential to help young[br]people learn to navigate relationships,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and important issues like consent[br]when it comes to sex,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's not even compulsory [br]in the UK curriculum.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In a world where ultimation is increasing,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where jobs that we've already seen through[br]the Industrial Revolution,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that manual jobs have been replaced [br]by machines,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that with the next stage of technological[br]advancement, many, many more,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in things like accountancy and [br]professional services,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are also going to be replaced [br]by algorithms,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the human social relationship skills[br]are going to be in even more demand

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and therefore deserve much more attention.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And my final point is that we have not [br]done enough to prepare people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for the world of change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A little while ago, I spoke at a School[br]Award ceremony to 12-year olds

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I was to explain to them [br]how the world had changed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
since I was there age.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And one of the examples I used was[br]the process of taking a photograph.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I described how, when I was 12,[br]you would have a thing called a camera

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that was all that it did, it was just[br]for taking photographs,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you would have to get a piece of film,[br]physically,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to load it into the camera machine,[br]you'd had to do that pretty carefully,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because you didn't want to expose the film[br]and it was quite a fiddly process.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You wouldn't know whether the photos[br]you were taking were any good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You would have to take at least 24, [br]or sometimes 36,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
depending on which particular [br]piece of film you put into your camera,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
before you would then take it along[br]to a pharmacist's or a chemist's shop,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
pay some money and then go and do[br]something else for a few days,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at which point you could come back

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and be presented with your little[br]envelope of photographs,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and see if any of them had turned out OK.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I was counting on these 12-year olds[br]looked at me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like I might well be lying to them: [br]this is how it worked,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because of course these days, you know,[br]within a matter of seconds,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you can take dozens of selfies [br]in your phone,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
apply however many Instagram filters[br]you like,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and share it with the entire world,[br]just without leaving the school.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The pace of change is accelerating hugely.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Here in 2015, for us to consider [br]what even are 21st century skills,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is like going back to 1915 and trying[br]to imagine the space race, nuclear power,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the internet, or the kind of social change[br]going from a situation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where women didn't even have the vote,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to electing a woman as Prime Minister [br]in the UK,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or the change with gay rights,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or the ending of racial segregation[br]in the United States.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We can't even conceive of all that [br]the 21st century is going to bring.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so, more than anything, with [br]this huge pace of increasing knowledge,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
more than anything, what we need to do[br]is equip people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to cope with and thrive [br]on change and uncertainty.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Instead, we have bunches of kids being [br]processed through the education system

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that doesn't look that different[br]to several decades ago.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So we really do have a problem here,[br]in terms of the skills

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that we are teaching and more importantly,[br]not teaching well enough.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Whether it's technical skills, [br]whether it's those social skills

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or whether it's the vitally important[br]ability to be resilient,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to recover from change and setbacks,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and to apply yourself in a new way [br]to a new set of challenges and horizons.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These are the things [br]we must be focusing on,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and we aren't yet rising [br]to that challenge.

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I support the motion. 18:06