The Need for Opportunity

There are many important causes that drive people to fight for a better world. Charities to aid the poor, the starving and the homeless; and the superb global campaign to cure cancer; are all good examples of this. In every case, despite the challenges and the odds against them, people who are determined to make a difference, have started something. And the cause that I believe in just as passionately, as being essential to the quality of human life, is opportunity.

Opportunity isn't just about having jobs. I've known too many people who have a steady paycheck, but who hate every moment of their day, because they feel they are stuck in jobs that they never wanted.

No. Opportunity is a lot more than this. It is about having the chance to make the most of your life, by doing whatever it is that you love. And there are many reasons why we should fight for it.

At school, I remember that we were once taught about sexism in times gone by. One book we were presented with, entitled Oh No Dear, listed the ways in which women were dissuaded from going into certain professions. These ideas would seem ridiculous and offensive to a 21st Century audience; but what they do illustrate is that those women were denied their opportunity for something better: and there is a clear need to fight for it.

Consider equality and diversity. It's a nice idea: all people being treated as they want to be treated, and all people being given the same chance in life. But unless it is put into practice, that is all it will be.

It is a known psychological fact that 'like likes like,' or to put it another way 'birds of a feather flock together.' People of the same mindset, with similar lifestyles and values will naturally gravitate towards one another. This in itself isn't a bad thing. But the downside to this, is that, left to their own devices, they will strengthen their own group to the exclusion of others.

The discriminations on the grounds of race, gender, disability and social status are well documented, but there are other, less obvious kinds of obstruction, that stop people having opportunities. Cliques can form in organisations; communities can be challenged by neighbourhood disputes. There are many ways, whether intentional or not, that opportunity can be undermined.

As the struggle for diversity shows us, opportunity will not happen by itself. It needs to be promoted, encouraged, and supported until we know that everyone has a chance. And the same argument goes for job opportunities, innovation, and job creation. These are things that must be fought for and supported in every way possible.

And there is another reason why opportunity is so important. In a recent TV programme, by Dispatches on Britain's Police Federation, there have been claims, that several senior officers have resigned, allegedly because of a culture of bullying and harassment within the organisation. In fairness to the police, they have a very tough job, dealing with the worst members of society on a daily basis. The police officers I know are tough because they have to be, but are also very energetic and professional.

The culture of any organisation is complex for an outsider to understand, and causes of the alleged harassment may be just as complicated, but I still believe that where any bullying has occurred, lack of opportunity will be found to be one of its causes.

From bad experience in the past, I know that if a group of people are left with no real opportunities, they will of course, be tempted to stab each other in the back to get ahead. Let's say hypothetically, that you have one shining new role, and about ten or twelve people, with many years of experience, to fill it.

The best person may win, but with the stakes so high, that he or she would be tempted to get on the right side of the boss to do so: at the expense of the others. The ill feeling between them can make the working environment toxic, over time. It will lead to jealousy, sabotage, and ultimately, to the departure of one or more of the group; not on good terms. Friends should not be made into enemies this way.

And how many individuals have you known, who were bitter or jealous about what they could have had? Over the years, I have encountered a few, who have used this as an excuse to ruin others. Lack of opportunity does not excuse their actions or their intentions, but in many of the cases, it didn't have to come to this.

So how can we make sure that people get the opportunities they deserve? Some basic ways in which we can do this are:

• Students and Alumni (graduates) of every profession should be fully interconnected, at every place of higher education. This will allow knowledge transfer (exchange of information) both ways, between the students and the Alumni of all industries.
• All non-graduates should be assessed and qualified for the skills they possess. This will ensure that anyone aged 16-24 who has not had a higher education will still be given a chance to realise his/her potential.
• All adults aged 25 and above, who are not in full time employment, to be encouraged to go into business together, and start companies of their own. Arrangements should be made to put the right skilled and unskilled adults in touch with one another to facilitate this.

By doing this, we will create new jobs, and opportunities; as well as allowing a lot of people the chance to progress, develop and to be valued. But as obvious as these measures may sound, there are still obstacles to be overcome, from what I am told so far. The knowledge economy is like a business. It needs to be efficient, and we need proof that everyone is getting the opportunities that they deserve.

That is why I will vigorously pursue the creation of new opportunities, until there is clear proof that we have achieved them.

I hope you will join me.