From shock to opportunity: How to capitalise on the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Link between Workforce Development and Support and Development of Societal Inclusion

French society faced many unprecedented challenges during the Covid-19 crisis, not least the fact that employers had no choice but to deploy remote-working, as well as workforce development e-training, to compensate for the work hours that could not be fulfilled due to lockdown constraints. This new reality brought a new challenge for the employment sector in France: how to face digital inequalities and fight digital illiteracy in the workforce. Today, according to the French Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration, 13 million French people say they are disconnected from the digital world: they either do not use the Internet at all or use it very little, and they feel they have difficulty with its functions. However, 76% of French people say they are ready to adopt new technologies. The Government’s ambition is to work toward the creation of an innovative, inclusive and human digital society in order to guarantee access to public services for all.

The recovery plan is undoubtfully inspired by the ideal of solidarity which makes it possible to better financially support and accompany the most vulnerable employees, including people with disabilities, youth and old people with fragile personal situations:

—The “France Relance” plan has made significant financial commitments, in particular a €320 million recovery plan for inclusion for nearly 5 000 inclusive organisations (4 000 structures of insertion by economic activity (SIAE) and 800 adapted enterprises (EA)). Moreover, the recovery and resilience measures increased the support for the companies which employ people with disabilities.

A series of measures proposed by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration also benefit from additional credits from the France recovery plan to support young people who are looking for a job by building tailor-made integration paths as part of the “1 young person, 1 solution” plan.

Additionally, the plan includes a sound national strategy for digital inclusion to combat the digital divide among the French population. This strategy has three main components:

1. Equipping and training care–providers (social workers, volunteers, public service agents, etc.) to support through digital tools people in their care who are unable to live independently through digital tools and also provide answers to digital emergencies;
2. Enabling people to take training courses with accredited professionals in their geographical area by funding these courses and supporting the proliferation of organisations offering this type of activity (digital public spaces, third places, France Services, libraries, social centres, etc.);
3. Supporting the initiatives of local and regional authorities, who are best placed to implement coherent and coordinated actions adapted to the needs of local residents.

Lessons learned from the pandemic and strategies oriented towards the future

The Covid-19 crisis has profoundly changed the concept of professional training in France and has triggered widespread reflection on professional life. For some employees, the days of only partial work activity were an opportunity to take time for themselves and to reflect on their work-life balance. For others, this period offered an occasion to consider the sacrifices they used to make for their jobs. At the same time, employees who seized the opportunities given to them by their employers participated in workforce development training, in which they were supported by national recovery plan grants to improve their skills and look forward towards a brighter evolution in their career path. Moreover, the “new” reality of workforce development has encouraged a more inclusive and human digital society. In a way, the shock of the crisis has accelerated an already existing trend towards digital training and “non-stop learning”, while allowing employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance and supporting productivity outside the “physical” perimeter of the workplace.

“The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity”, according to Tom Peters, an American writer on business management practices. This is why it can be said that the reinforcement of workforce development measures and strategic objectives—alongside the dismantling of inequalities and support for inclusion—has unlocked the door for a brighter era for work and for society as a whole in France.

Footnotes:

* The training aid offered as part of the National Employment Fund (FNE-Formation) is an aid package for companies to enable them to set up vocational training measures for their employees in order to encourage the strengthening of their skills.

**Nearly 1 million CPF training courses have been deployed in 2020, according to a study by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration ‘s statistics department.

Author’s biography: Marie-Christine Noujaim is the Lead Grants Development Consultant for France at Grants Office Europe. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Management in 2013. In 2016, she received her Master of Research in Management. From 2017 to 2021, she was enrolled in a PhD program at Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté; her thesis was entitled “The practice of diversity in companies: a quest for efficiency or legitimacy?” She has participated in several EU-funded projects and has spoken at various international webinars, including the TandEM webinar “Empowering Youth as agents of integration and social cohesion and the Grants Office Europe webinar on the key measures of the French  recovery plan.

LinkedIn Profile: https://fr.linkedin.com/in/marie-christine-noujaim-091187154

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