On Monday, April 4, 2022, Ken Cowen will receive an honorary doctorate from Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Ken Cowen is renowned for his pioneering work in the creation and development of training solutions across a wide range of settings.
In 2007, while working for a training provider in Liverpool, he set up the School of Hard Knocks in response to an appeal by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council for innovative ideas to help young, unemployed men sustained by the proceeds of petty crime contribute positively to society.
Drawing on his previous experience as a PE teacher in Liverpool, Ken devised a course using rugby to engage with the men, teaching them positive values and behaviour to give them a sense of self-worth, self-efficacy and hope for the future.
It proved to be a huge success. In 2012, the School of Hard Knocks became a registered charity which now employs a core team of 18 people helping over 750 adults and children at risk of exclusion from mainstream education each year, including many living in and around Cardiff (as well as London, Glasgow and Edinburgh).
Its ethos remains the same as it did back in 2007 – empowering people to achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Besides also working in the public and private sectors, Ken has a rich background in public speaking and communications. To this day he remains Chief Executive Officer of the School of Hard Knocks which, besides its work across the UK, now has roots in New Zealand and South Africa. As Ken himself says, “Who knows where next?”
