Day in and day out, social entrepreneurs design opportunities. They empower others to thrive in the face of challenges, change— and yes, even global crises. Social innovators were already working to prepare people for a shifting jobs landscape, but the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the future of work far quicker than anyone could have predicted. So how are innovators finding opportunities in these most trying of times?
To find out, we spoke with the twelve winning social entrepreneurs from the Ashoka and HSBC Future Skills Innovation Challenge, each working to ensure that everyone is equipped with the skills they will need for the economy of tomorrow. Here are six insights that emerged:
Self-driven learning is now an essential skill
The move to online learning, accelerated by COVID, has highlighted a new essential soft skill: self-driven learning, says Gilbert Pooley, founder of Umuzi, a digital skill-building program for youth in South Africa. This became a common refrain we heard: Self-motivation is key for success in the post-pandemic world.
Damianos and Michael, founders of Social Hackers Academy in Greece, noticed this trend through their own coding program. Peer-to-peer learning is becoming more important than ever, they add, since teachers can no longer check over their students’ shoulders. What’s more, students are gaining confidence and feeling more empowered as a result.
For many, education is becoming more inclusive
In the Philippines, Ashoka Fellow Ryan Gersava is seeing people with disabilities gaining greater access to education during the pandemic. “School principals are saying finally we can integrate people with disabilities into a formal education…tech breaks down these barriers,” the founder of Virtualahan explains. His team is seeking to use their digital platform and model, which helps excluded members of society learn digital skills, to enhance education for children with special needs.
Meanwhile, across the world in France, Emilie, Pauline, and Fabien are noticing more people with disabilities engage in ActivAction’s programming than before via the new online format. They’ve also spotted a rise in participants who would not have attended the in-person skill and confidence-building workshop because they felt intimidated, who are now willing to sign up for the online course.
Tomorrow’s resilient jobs are remote
In the U.S., Erica Wong and the team at Code Nation are realizing that in a world of remote work, engaging high school students through the screen is helping them develop another critical future skill. “You have to be able to collaborate over a screen,” Erica says. “The most resilient jobs of tomorrow are going to be remote jobs or jobs in tech where [working] remote is a possibility.” Being connected to the online network is more important than ever. “It will be more and more important for people to master [digital] skills to stay connected and do basic things in their daily lives,” says Jean Guo of Konexio.
This could be the moment for green jobs
Brandon Dennison, founder of Coalfield Development, an initiative that helps create jobs for former coalminers in the clean technology sector, believes that green companies can “leapfrog” old industries during the COVID recovery because they will create more jobs. While some industries in the rural areas where he works will continue to struggle and solar industries may recover slowly, Brandon believes that sustainable agriculture and other green jobs will are on a path to rebound well.
Financial inclusion is a gateway for health inclusion
Post-Covid-19, financial technology (FinTech) companies are becoming more interested in financial inclusion, according to Miguel Duhalt, founder of Comunidad 4Uno, a platform that partners with employers to connect Mexico’s domestic workers, most of whom are female, with loans, banking services and more. As more people have become financially vulnerable, companies are recognizing that people need to have access to these financial products to mitigate risk in a future crisis.
Experts are also recognizing the opportunity — and need — to integrate e-health with financial services, Miguel says: an approach his organization has been advancing for the past four years. As the world “becomes more sensitive to health,” Comunidad 4Uno is looking to leverage this consciousness to strengthen their telemedicine offerings.
More than entrepreneurs, it takes an ecosystem to make change
Paving the path forward doesn’t rely on one solution, organization, or institution. Instead, we need each of these actors to work in concert with one another as agents of change, social entrepreneurs say. “What [many] are saying is the next generation of successful orgs are the platforms, ecosystems,” explains Miguel. “The focus of the ecosystem is that all parts of the system work towards one goal that benefits the whole system.”
ActivAction, for example, focuses on particular regions in France and trains institutions across the national, local, and civic levels in that region to collaborate, leading to more lasting impact. Looking to the future, entrepreneurs also emphasize the important role of large private sector employers in creating jobs for upskilled workers. The systemic change we seek calls for everyone.
We’re drawing on the strength of solidarity
As the COVID-19 crisis causes disruption around the world, it’s showing us “how important it is to create social links between all sorts of people,” Jean says. “It would be much more dramatic if there wasn’t already some solidarity [at the community level].” Social entrepreneurs root their initiatives in the communities they serve — and it’s the strength of these relationships that will serve as the foundation for new opportunities and growth in the future.
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The Ashoka and HSBC Future Skills Challenge searched and selected social entrepreneurs shaping an economy where everyone can access opportunities and where people have the skills to thrive in a rapidly-changing world.
