All newly elected and existing MPs should undertake a People’s Apprenticeship, in which they must experience a number of different walks of life to inform their decisions in the Houses of Parliament.
Whether an MP is from humble routes, or from the privilege of Eton, each elected member should undertake an apprenticeship once elected.
We have seen a lot of MPs act as though they are above the law in recent months, and so no one should be given a free pass on the People’s Apprenticeship.
That means even our next Prime Minister, whether Sunak or Truss, should be prepared to get on their PPE and work in the corridors of our hardest hit hospitals or assist teachers in the crowded classrooms of today.
Politicians from across the political divide would take part, in what would hopefully be a privileged insight that informs their democratic mandates, rather than serves as a burden they must be seen to endure.
Lasting two to three weeks, the People’s Apprenticeship would see MPs get their hands dirty by undertaking work experience days across the public, private and third sector.
The experience should be a genuine trial, and provided security was all in order, shouldn’t provide any easy get outs or luxuries that the people don’t get.
Working in a combination of shops, hospitals, schools, emergency services and factories, coupled with an experience of the living conditions faced by millions on low incomes, would be a wonderful education for many. This really would be a University of Life.
Spending three or four days in each role, concurrently over a few weeks, MPs could expect to do anything from assisting frontline police officers in high-crime areas, undertaking construction work, shadowing a nurse in A&E, supporting an inner-city social worker with their caseloads, enjoying a stint in office administration, trying out fast-food delivery or performing supervised tasks on our transport network.
With the cost of living crisis bringing many hard working households close to breaking point, people are rightly asking more than ever ‘just how in touch are our politicians?’ and ‘do they really understand what we’re having to endure?’. Media interviews with prominent and start-out politicians alike, exploring how they found working the bin routes on collection day, would probably be a lot more interesting too.
It would be important for the people to see their elected representatives complete this vital schooling through a degree of media access, at least bits of it, just so they know the apprenticeship was real. It would certainly bring more authenticity than the mandatory staged political photos with smiling children or construction hardhats.
There’s nothing wrong with these as such, it’s just it’s time they had a more genuine go at the action.
Being concerned that too many of the country’s leaders come from elite schools or only have experience of high paying corporate jobs in financial industries, is understandable.
Some argue that it is ‘the politics of envy’ to criticise our leaders in this way. That’s a lazy claim.
It’s perfectly reasonable to ask if being rich means some politicians have no idea what it is like to struggle on two jobs, fear how you will heat your home or live with the distress of credit card debt. I’d suggest asking these questions is the ‘politics of common sense’.
In my role as Assistant Police & Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, I visit countless community services, charities, emergency workers and other community settings. Every time, I’m left learning about new struggles, the impact of poverty and the things people really want to see from their government. I’m also left feeling impressed with the hard work, discipline and passion of hard working people across sectors and places.
An apprenticeship for people in powerful political positions would put rocket fuel into this kind of learning – bringing ‘out of touch’ political leaders closer to real world challenges. It would be good for them, and good for the people. I’d be happy to do it.
Of course, just because one grew up in a Council estate, doesn’t mean they have learnt everything they need to know to help run a country. Equally, just because one studied science at Oxford University doesn’t mean they know what it is like to be a junior doctor working in an NHS that is close to total collapse.
Would a Health Secretary slash nursing training grants if they had experienced the stresses of working in NHS hospitals?
Would the government put more money into social work if they had experienced excessive caseloads, and seen the loss of a child in their area?
Which DWP Minister would choose to cut benefits when they themselves had lived on them for a month, despite working a low paid job and doing everything they can to feed their families?
The details of the People’s Apprenticeship could be worked out by people cleverer than me.
But it would be money well spent: getting our political leaders onto the streets and away from their dinners at Chequers; understanding people and communities better.
