The BBC (UK) has launched a new education approach, focused on encouraging social mobility in the UK. Speaking at the launch, James Purnell said, “Education has always been part of the BBC’s DNA and we want to renew our commitment to it in this new charter period. We want to work with partners to have a positive impact on people’s lives, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds”.
The priorities the BBC is to focus on now include:
- Improving the UK’s literacy rates by focusing on pre-school children to counter the fact that the UK’s most disadvantaged 5-year-olds can be 19 months behind their more affluent peers in vocabulary development on school entry.
- Championing the wider needs of children by building resilience and self-esteem and by supporting mental health just as much as they currently support their academic needs.
- Opening up the world of employment to young people at a time when recent CBI research revealed that 84% of UK businesses feel the quality of careers advice young people receive is not good enough.
- Exploring opportunities that make it easier for adults to retrain; equipping them to thrive in a challenging labour market and an increasingly digital world.
Over the next 12 months, the BBC will work at pace with partners to explore these priorities in detail. Sinéad Rocks, Director of Education for the BBC said, “In an age where education is widely recognised to be the most significant element in determining life chances, we want to work with a wide range of partners to see how, together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of our audience.”
See our tweets from the launch event…click here to view.
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