Business Barometer Podcast Series The Open University

In this fifth podcast, Martha Lane Fox, CBE, Chancellor of the OU and President of the BCC talks to her two guests - Shevaun Haviland, Director General at the BCC and Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the BCC – about talent, skills shortages and the importance of lifelong learning.


Both stressed the importance of upskilling and reskilling, of engaging in a process of continual learning. Jane said employers repeatedly speak to her about skills gaps, asking what could be done to alleviate the problem. “What we’re saying is the in-work progression, the in-work training is really critically important.”
Shevaun says there needs to be a change in organisational culture to reflect the shift from jobs for life to portfolio careers. “We have to actually change our culture to think about this lifelong learning piece. How can I change and adapt as I go through my career?”

In this fourth podcast of the Open University’s (OU) series on business and skills, Bryan talks to Martha Lane Fox, CBE, Chancellor of the OU and President of the BCC, about his personal experience of moving from one career to another. He shares the advice he would give other people transitioning into a new field and why employers can benefit from thinking more openly about career changers.


“This was the first real decision for me to go into something totally different, put a suit on, go into an office in the centre of Manchester and work with people that knew me, but didn’t necessarily know me.”
Bryan, who know oversees players at London Scottish who may need support to undergo similar career transitions of their own, says the biggest challenge was probably understanding where he fitted in and how to operate in an office environment.

In this podcast, the third in the OU’s series on the UK skills landscape, Alwen Williams, Portfolio Director at Ambition North Wales, talks to Martha Lane Fox, CBE, Chancellor at the OU and President at the BCC. They discuss plans to develop skills and careers for local people, with a strong focus on sustainability, climate change and the needs of future generations in North Wales.


Ambition North Wales is looking to invest £1 billion over the next 15 years, creating up to 4,000 new jobs in the economy. It is particularly interested in developing career paths for young people in key industries and in sectors where there is a marked scarcity of skills, such as in the green economy, in digital and project management.
It is 20 years since devolution in Wales and with a new first minister in post, Alwen thinks now is the perfect time for future planning. “It gives us the opportunity as a nation to really get under the skin of what today’s issues are and how we plan and develop programmes and projects for the future.”

Financial stress is one of the biggest drivers of mental health issues in the UK, according to Carla Hoppe, CEO and Founder of Wealthbrite, an organisation that provides financial skills training in the workplace.

Carla was speaking to Martha Lane Fox, CBE, Chancellor of The Open University (OU) and President of the British Chambers of Commerce, in the second podcast in the OU’s recent series discussing business and skills and the findings of the latest Business Barometer report.

Carla says the financial worries reported by many employees leads to high levels of stress, anxiety, lack of motivation and sleepless nights, all of which can impact on their performance at work.

Very few people learn about financial management at school. “That means there are millions of young people entering the world of work every year who really don’t have a strong grasp on the basics of money management,” said Carla. She would like employers to offer financial training, particularly to new starters, to help them with personal finance and to improve their commercial acumen.

SMEs need to be more proactive about addressing skills
challenges if they are to recruit and retain the talent they need in order to succeed. This is one of the key messages from The Open University’s (OU) recent podcast How SMEs can solve skills challenges, the first in a series discussing findings from the Business Barometer report.

This first podcast features Baroness Martha Lane Fox, CBE, Chancellor at the OU and President at the British
Chambers of Commerce and Anthony Impey, MBE and Chief Executive at Be the Business.



“To drive growth, you have to tap into the vast potential that we have here and you do that through skills training and development,” said Anthony. SMEs are operating in a
very challenging environment, with repeated lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical unrest, economic uncertainty, the energy crisis and inflation issues all having an impact. “It’s taken a pre-existing crisis and made it all the more difficult,” said Anthony.

But, Anthony thinks business leaders are more resilient as a result and realise that they need to invest in skills to drive productivity, with an increasing number collaborating with other SMEs and training providers to boost the local provision of skills.