E44: Future-Proofing Local Talent: Aligning Education with Tomorrow's In-Demand Skills w/Dujon Harvey from Hackney Council

Dujon's career can be characterised as ambitious, aspirational, and determined. He is approaching 10 years with Hackney Council, having worked his way up from a senior employment advisor to the Assistant Director of Employment, Skills & Adult Learning (ESAL).

One of four children born and raised in Tottenham, North London, by hard working migrant parents from the Caribbean - an industrious and ambitious community - Dujon was aware from a young age that hard work is not rewarded in equal measure. 

Having first hand experience of his dad's community work with youth centres and grass roots football, as well as social housing management through his Mum's work, Dujon was guided early on towards serving the public. 

Drawing from his own experience of deprivation and marginalisation, where professional career guidance was non existent, and role models were limited to local sports stars and entertainers, and through studying Sociology and Social Anthropology,

Dujon sharpened his understanding of societal inequality and solidified a will to change it. Dujon says his aim has always been to support everyone in realising their potential, but especially to raise up the aspirations of the disenfranchised. And that's exactly what he's doing at Hackney Council, striving to create opportunities for residents to thrive in a growing economy, whilst working to affect policies and structures in a way that will raise the long term aspirations of the whole community.

Dujon is passionate about developing an infrastructure in Hackney and London, which disrupts societal norms and breaks down the structures that perpetuate unequal access to secure livelihoods. Dujon and the ESAL teams create thousands of opportunities for residents to access learning, training and jobs through ambitious partnerships with businesses and a variety of support programmes accessible by practically anyone from Hackney. The ambitions of this service delivery is to reveal pathways to access an array of different careers, which are often hidden from view. Making sure everyone can imagine themselves in the job they are perfect for, even if society has told them they are not.

🔹 Connect with Dujon Harvey on Linkedin here