Nadhim Zahawi: What is the job of Education Secretary and how politics can learn from business

Today’s guest has one of the most interesting stories in the UK. And it’s one that I think you might not know about. It’s the story of an 11-year-old boy who fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and arrived in the UK not being able to read a word of English. He went on to found a Billion dollar company, became an MP, was responsible for the vaccine rollout and has now recently been appointed by Boris Johnson as the Secretary of State for Education. Today’s guest is none other than Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon and Secretary of State for Education.  You can also watch this episode on Youtube. Thank you to our partners The Octopus Group for making this show possible. The Octopus Group is a collection of 8 entrepreneurially minded businesses that look to back the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. Get in touch with us at hello@jobsofthefuture.co In this episode we talk to Nadhim about: What is the job of Education Secretary? How to predict what skills will be needed in the future. The challenge of communicating Education. Are we pushing people into highly specific degrees too early? If Nadhim was 22 in 2022 what sectors would he look to work in? What exactly is an apprenticeship degree? Nadhim's entrepreneurial journey, including founding the billion-dollar company YouGov. Nadhim’s non-linear political career and running marathons, not sprints. Why his obituary is already written.  Why running Government departments is like a start-up. Growing a business from 5 to 50 people to IPO. Does he still want to be Prime Minister? What content has inspired Nadhim on his journey? Subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes, releasing every Wednesday.You can sign up to Jimmy's Substack here for weekly content on the future of work, technology, and politicsFor more information on partnering with us please visit our partnerships page here.Also make sure you subscribe to The Shift, you can find it here on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices