The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of a truth that seems to have been forgotten until now: the work of carers, cleaners and supermarket staff is crucial to the functioning of our society. But why has it taken so long to acknowledge the importance of these kinds of jobs?

In his recent book Head Hand Heart, David Goodhart splits human aptitudes into categories of the cognitive (Head), the manual or craft (Hand) and the emotional (Heart). All three are essential components of a healthy society, but in recent years the influence attributed to cognitive ability has far outweighed the power and status given to any other type of skill. Goodhart explores how the cognitive class has gradually shaped systems in its own interests by prioritising the ‘knowledge economy’ and reimagining the concept of success.

In this conversation with Nesta Chief Executive Ravi Gurumurthy, David examined how we can use the learnings from the pandemic to redefine our understanding of ‘skilled work’ and give long-overdue recognition to those who work with their hands and hearts.