From education to employment

The Essential Life Skills Brits Wish They Had Been Taught in School

‘Every day is a school day’ according to the popular saying, and that’s certainly true when it comes to learning many crucial life skills not taught in classrooms.

As the nation prepares to tighten its belt, Budgeting and Personal Finance has been revealed as the most popular subject that Brits wish they had been taught in education. More than a third (35%) of respondents in a new study wished they had a better understanding of how to be savvy with their spending and manage their household income.

How to Manage Your Mental Health was the second most popular subject according to the research released today (17 Sept)* by High Speed Training, who provide online training courses that support lifelong learning.

The online training provider commissioned the study alongside the start of the new school term and involved more than 1,500 members of the public across the UK. It shines a spotlight on an insightful list of topics learnt in ‘the school of life’ that many Brits feel they should be better equipped for. 

More than one in 10 (12%) of Brits wish they had been taught the basics about ‘How the Government Works’ at school. The findings follow months of political speculation regarding the outcome of Brexit, leaving many people concerned and confused.

Likewise, in the face of evolving technology and changing job landscape, 11% indicated they wish they had been taught coding and digital skills – a subject that is now part of the core curriculum for those in school today.

The top 5 subjects Brits wish they had learnt in school:

  1. Budgeting and Personal Finances (35%)
  2. How to Manage Your Mental Health (20%)
  3. How to Start a Business (14%)
  4. How the Government Works (12%)
  5. Coding and Digital Skills (11%)

Interestingly, the Greta Effect doesn’t look to have taken a strong hold yet, as just 8% indicated that they wish they had been taught more about the environment. This figure drops to 4% of those aged 18 – 24. Similarly, younger respondents were also found to be the least entrepreneurially minded, with just one in 20 (5%) keen to learn more about how to start a business.

Dr Richard Anderson, Head of Learning & Development at High Speed Training, said:

“It’s clear to see that the British public think they would have benefited from learning about life’s great lessons in school. Traditional subjects such as algebra do have an important place in education, however many people feel intimidated when it comes to applying learnings to real life scenarios. As a result, many people are seeking out ways to better learn a subject and investing in personal development later in life.”

*Google survey involving 1,580 members of the public on 13th September 2019.


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