Nicky Morgan on resilience, university fees & the education system

Baroness Morgan of Cotes PC (@NickyMorgan01), British Politician and former Secretary of State, shares her view on resilience, the importance of character building, the education system, and what challenges she may face embarking on a new journey.

Nicky served in the cabinet as Education Secretary from 2014- 2016 and Culture Secretary from 2019-2020, standing down in February.

Searching for Mana host, Lloyd Wahed sits down with Nicky Morgan to discuss university fees, and the importance of questioning whether university is the right step for your own career journey:

In her own words, Nicky says:

“When tuition fees were introduced, vice chancellors said after that at open days, students and teachers would come along, and start asking questions where do graduates from this particular course or university end up? I think that learning classics at a top university is a great training for your brain, but it’s not going to be right for everybody.”

Nicky also shares her opinion on the current UK recession and how she believes we will be able to exit. Briefly discussing the role the FinTech sector will play, Nicky highlights the importance of educating individuals outside of the tech world, in order to inspire the next generation to think about careers in digital or tech.

Nicky champions the nation’s innovative spirit, telling Lloyd:

“In the UK for hundreds of years, it’s our spirit of innovation, and the fact that we are very adaptable as a nation in finding new sectors, new ways of doing things. I’m sure that will count.”

Nicky candidly explained the impact being a politician has had on believing she always has to have the answer, and the challenges this idea may present moving forward.

Telling Lloyd: “As a politician when you’re interviewed, what you don’t usually say or can’t usually say is: I don’t know the answer to that. There are times when I’ve been on the Today programme, and I’ve thought as the question is ending, my mouth is going to have to move in about two seconds. I do not know what’s going to come out because I do not actually know what is best for me to say but you have to say something.”

“My biggest challenge is the ability to not always be in the driving seat with an answer, and just listen to the expertise of others before jumping in” – Nicky Morgan on Searching for Mana podcast.

Searching for Mana is a progressive podcast celebrating leaders and founders in the tech and finance space, hosted by Lloyd Wahed, a London-born entrepreneur and headhunter, with over 15 years of experience.