Young people want to go to the office but 'virtually nobody is there'
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has expressed concern that young people may be missing out on learning opportunities due to the rise in working from home.
Speaking at an event, she said that new employees learn a lot from their colleagues and from "seeing meetings, seeing how things are done". When asked if she was worried about young people not engaging and not learning from their seniors because they're working from home, Ms Keegan said: "I do worry about that. Although I think it is shifting a little bit back to an equilibrium."
She added: "I think you do learn a lot from other people. And I think one of the things that a lot of people say as well in terms of productivity, creativity, that sort of group dynamic you do kind of get to the answer, you get to solving problems quite often better with a group."
"Particularly if you've got a good diverse group coming from different angles, different experience, it really does make it better I think for those people starting in their career. And lots of people, if you speak to those young people, they'll say, 'you know, that's what I want. I want to be going to the office.
"I want the sort of going out after work stuff as well'. So it's a big part of the journey and again it's a big part of starting work. I think we have to get the balance right though."
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At an event in London, the Education Secretary also mentioned that the Government was being "very cautious" over plans for digital GCSE exams due to potential risks.
A number of the UK's major exam boards are moving towards digital qualifications which need regulatory approval by Ofqual. When asked by the PA news agency if the Government supported the plans for digital GCSEs and if it was worried about any risks they could pose such as tech issues or cheating Ms Keegan said: "I think being very cautious is actually the sort of short answer."
She added that the Government will want to ensure that digital exams do not "lower the quality" of assessment. Earlier this month, Pearson, which runs exam board Edexcel, announced plans to offer pupils a choice to be assessed digitally in their GCSE English exams from summer 2025.
Last month, OCR, an exam board, announced plans for a digital GCSE in computer science for students starting their course in 2025. Another exam board, AQA, is planning to introduce on-screen exams over several years, with the aim that students will take at least one major subject digitally by 2030.
An Ofqual spokesperson said: "Ofqual is committed to supporting well-evidenced innovation in how examinations are taken. However, it is critical that examinations are both accessible and fair to all students taking them."
They added: "We will evaluate in detail any proposals for on-screen exams when they are submitted for review. Our priority will be making sure any approach is fair to all students, whether they take their exam on-screen or continue to do so on paper."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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