With a golden thread of helping people, Jess Flack has a background in employability, skills, recruiting and teaching at both undergraduate and master’s level. Passionate about creating a more equitable society, and driving digital inclusion through partnership working and collaboration, Jess leads with kindness and is redefining what engagement with local authorities looks and feels like in the pursuit of transforming the services we offer to our citizens and their ability to access them.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Jess shared insights on the role of emerging technologies in driving digital inclusion, her significant career milestone, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Jess. What inspired you to tackle digital exclusion, and how do you stay motivated in this space?
I’ve always been interested in social justice, ensuring fairness and equity in society. In our modern digital age where 1 in 4 households are still offline in the UK due to a lack of connectivity, skills or a device and yet 90%+ of applications for jobs are online, we are digitising our health service records and support etc., for me, this creates inequities in society and especially for services that are necessary, not nice to have. It feels natural for me to want to step in and help close the digital divide because it has grown through inequity. I stay motivated by the incredible people who work in this space, all coming together for a shared goal. It’s a beautiful thing to bear witness to what we’re capable of when we all come together.
What do you love the most about your current role?
My role is broad, which means my work is varied. I work across many sectors, hierarchies and so on. My role is both operational and strategic, and where funding lacks, I utilise my creativity to innovate around problems. Closing the digital divide has people at the centre of delivery, something that’s very important to me. Knowing that I can positively impact people, their lives and their outcomes is a driver for me to be the best I can be.
What role do you think education plays in addressing digital exclusion?
Education is critical in addressing digital exclusion, both in terms of educating policy, decision makers and those responsible for developing digital services and apps about digital exclusion and how to mitigate the risks, and also enabling our citizens to develop the digital skills they need to interact fully with the online world. If we’re better informed and educated, we will make better for our citizens and ourselves.
What’s your perspective on the role of emerging technologies, such as AI and blockchain, in driving digital inclusion?
I’m very keen on identifying the opportunities, risks and challenges that come with emerging technologies. Blockchain could be a great way to support digital financial inclusion, as some would argue that it’s a more secure, cost-effective and easy to use banking method, particularly for citizens who are unbanked. AI has the potential to unlock digital productivity and growth, and to support us in tackling some of our biggest societal challenges in our health, social care and education systems but everything comes at a cost. I see the potential, of course, but we must ensure that we are giving equal access and opportunity to realise this potential through training, support and equitable access to devices and connectivity. AI learns from us as humans, if we train it with only a few of our voices, it will remain biased and unable to fully and equitably serve us.
What do you think are the most significant opportunities and challenges facing women in technology and leadership positions today?
Advocacy is super-important in any space where women are not as prevalent in the workforce. We cannot be what we cannot see. I shared a post recently on LinkedIn about just some of the incredible women I have had the pleasure of working for and alongside and how they have and continue to shape my career and aspirations. I have also had and continue to have the pleasure of working for and with men who are advocates for me and the work I’m doing and are enablers in me securing a seat at some very influential tables. The effort and energy it takes to block great people and work can and should be targeted at opening and holding doors open for them instead.
Who has been a significant influence or mentor in your career, and how have they helped shape your professional journey?
Rosemary Capper, Placement Support Manager at Liverpool John Moores University was my first ‘proper boss’. An absolute power-house in managing and leadership (two different things). An incredible woman that I was so lucky to work with. She knew me, the terrible worrier that I was and she enabled me to really understand what I was capable of, often by putting me in situations that were sink or swim, but that inevitably enabled me to swim or develop my own arm-bands to comfortably float until I was ready. An advocate to the end and someone I’m still proud to call a friend.
What has been your most career-defining moment that you are proud of?
This might sound negative at first, but I was made redundant under difficult circumstances during the Covid pandemic. The experience, although tough, enabled me to understand more about who I was, what I was capable of and what my underlying values were. I leaned into my strengths and quickly found a freelancing opportunity while I sought out a full-time role which led me to my first role as a Commissioner for Skills Development at Essex County Council. I also spent the time developing my network on LinkedIn and utilising the free Premium account I’d been gifted by them for 3 months, I spent time upskilling to close the gaps I’d identified in my skills set when applying for roles. Adversity and difficulty often bring us the greatest learning opportunities. Experiencing redundancy fueled my passion to seize and explore opportunities where I could and to support others in self-actualisation.
How do you prioritize your well-being and self-care amidst a demanding career?
I have joined a women’s only gym managed by the most incredible local entrepreneur, Maddie. I walk there and back, put a podcast on and take the time to learn something new, re-setting before work. Running is no longer an option as I hurt my knee in a long-distance event, so I “go big or go home” at the gym, amongst brilliant women of every size, shape and background who all have each other’s backs.
What are your long-term career aspirations, and how do you see yourself evolving as a leader over the next five years?
I’d like to lead digital inclusion from a more national perspective, supporting Essex while enabling the UK as a whole to move forward in closing the digital divide. I see myself stepping into more central government conversations to support this work and training a team up who can support this work operationally in Essex and beyond.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in digital inclusion?
Be curious, look gaps and how you can join the dots. Lead with kindness and reciprocity, let this be central to everything you do. Be the person that people gravitate to for help, advice and guidance. That’s how you develop your wider networks. Having a fantastic network to call upon when working in digital inclusion is so important as it takes a village to raise a digitally included nation.