Go1, one of the world’s largest corporate education content hubs, releases its latest eLearning research, highlighting the current state of reskilling in the UK and how learning new skills can change people’s lives. Read the full article here.
With The Great Resignation in full swing, the report shows that nearly half (45 per cent) of Brits are taking additional steps to upskill in the hope of changing career. Whilst high amongst those aged 25 to 44, the report also found one in five workers over the age of 55 are considering a career change too, showing the scale of the resignation isn’t just impacting the young.
Whilst The Great Resignation has been much documented, there is also The Great Incorporation going on, with a record number of Brits launching businesses in 2021. Data from Companies House shows 810,316 new businesses were incorporated, an increase of 21 per cent, a new record. Go1 data shows that a third of Brits (32 per cent) undertook training to launch their own company, suggesting this trend is showing no signs of abating and could lead to a new generation of British entrepreneurs.
Mental health and work/life balance continue to be an important topic of conversation for employers and employees across the country, and Go1’s report shows half (50 per cent) of Brits have experienced better mental health as a result of learning a new skill. Soft skills dominate also, with 50 per cent of learners taking a course in topics such as people skills, listening skills and empathy. What’s more, nearly two thirds (64 per cent) wish soft skills were taught in schools, showing a significant gap in education that is being carried through into the workplace.
Of the top 5 eLearning courses, people and communication skills (13 per cent) sits high followed by leadership (11 per cent) showing that interpersonal communication are dominant areas the nation wishes to be better equipped.
“Continued learning is one of the most important aspects of our professional and personal wellbeing,” said Chris Eigeland, CRO and Co-founder of Go1. “Our research shows that you’re never too old to learn, to change careers or even to launch your own business.”
“Seeing interpersonal and wellbeing skills so high on the list of Brits’ priorities is also really positive and shows how far the conversation around supportive, inclusive and empathetic workplaces has come; something we feel incredibly passionate about at Go1.”
Go1’s eLearning report investigates the UK workforce and their general sentiment around learning new skills; identifying which skills are currently the most in demand. One thousand UK residents participated in the report over a five day period and found the following:
Age is Perceived as a Learning Hurdle
- 43% of workers avoid taking a course because they believe they are too old to learn something new.
- When you break it down by gender, more men believe they are too old to develop a new skill than their female counterparts. In fact, this rang true for nearly half of men (46%) who believed they could not learn something new because of their age, while only 2 in 5 (40%) of women believed their age was a deterrent to learning new skills.
- Surprisingly, when broken down by generations, 27% more millennials cited age as a learning hurdle than older GenXs and beyond (55+). Over half (51%) of millennials thought they were too old to learn a new skill vs. only 24% of Gen X’s and beyond.
L&D is Championing Career Advancement
- Starting within the workplace, nearly 38% of employees reported a promotion after taking an online course.
- On the other hand, almost 60% of late millennials and early GenX (35-44) learned a new skill to change their career. Meanwhile, for older GenX and beyond (55+), 22% admitted to and have actually learned new skills to change their career.
- GenZ (16-24) have taken the extra mile from career changes and have become business owners. More than 43% cited learning new skills helped them start their own business.
- Much of this renaissance for learning new skills stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic as it encouraged 50% to learn more digital skills and 34% to take an eLearning course while they were furloughed.
The Gender Gap Has Crossed over into Learning
- It is no secret that men dominate the STEM fields of the workplace due to systemic inequities, and it is reflecting on the type of content consumed by each gender. More men took a course on IT software (18%) than their female counterparts (10%).
- But while men out consumed women in STEM courses, women exceeded in courses in health, safety, and wellbeing (30%), compared to 18% of men.
A New Hope for Learning
- While career advancement is important across the workforce, what often gets forgotten is employee wellbeing. However, over half (55%) are finding that developing their skill set has improved their self-esteem, and 50% are finding learning a new skill is improving their mental health.
The Current Learning Landscape:
The Top 5 Skills Users Are Learning
- Health, safety & wellbeing (24%)
- IT software (14%)
- People & communication skills (13%)
- Leadership (11%)
- Sales & customer service (10%)
The Top 10 Skills People Want to Learn
- IT (22%)
- Problem Solving (19%)
- Motivation (18%)
- Language (18%)
- Management (17%)
- Positivity (17%)
- Leadership (17%)
- Writing (16%)
- Creative Thinking (15%)
- Communication (14%)
Go1 is continuing to link more than 3.5 million users to courses from 1,600 education providers like Harvard Business Review, Pearson, and Coursera, by removing the inconvenience of having to sign up and juggle various subscription deals.
To learn more about which courses the UK is most interested in undertaking and to see the rest of the report visit https://www.go1.com/en-au/blog/post-impact-of-elearning-survey, and for more information on Go1 visit www.Go1.com.
Methodology
Survey data was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Go1. 1,000 UK respondents were surveyed between 08.12.21 – 13.12.21. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which are based on the ESOMAR principles.
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