New poll: Half of workforce not learning enough skills at work

@Boxmedia_io : New poll: Half of workforce not learning enough skills at work  

• Almost 50 percent of Britain’s workers say they do not learn enough new skills at work 
• Poll comes as the coronavirus crisis continues to bring job losses  
• CIPD says workplace learning is neglected and under investment in skills will worsen plight of those left jobless due to Covid-19  

ALMOST 50 percent of British workers say they are not learning enough new skills, a survey has found.  

The landmark poll found some 46 percent of those who gave an opinion say they do not learn enough new skills at work.  

It revealed half think the learning courses they take at work are not engaging, and more than 2-in-5 say the skills being taught in the courses do not add value to their daily working life.  

The poll comes as the coronavirus crisis continues to bring job losses.   

Some 673,000 workers have left company payrolls since March.[i] Nearly 500,000 redundancies have been planned since the beginning of the crisis.  

Between June and August the UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.5 percent, amounting to 1.5 million unemployed.[ii] 

Campaigners and experts say many have been left jobless and without the necessary skills to secure new jobs. They believe the results show learning in the workplace is being neglected. 

The poll was commissioned by BoxMedia. Yonder polled 2,000 UK adults aged 18 and over between the 2nd and 4th October 2020. The results exclude those currently out of work and those who did not provide an opinion to the survey questions.  

Experts say more must be done to upskill the workforce.  

Lizzie Crowley, Skills Policy Adviser at the CIPD said: “Learning and upskilling at work continues to be neglected. This underinvestment in the skills and capabilities of our workforce will only worsen the plight of those left jobless as a result of the pandemic. 

“Much more must be done to make workplace learning the norm and to ensure the skills being taught are actually of value for the workplace of the future.” 

Clare Munn, CEO and Founder of BoxMedia said: “We know learning is the passport to the future. The illiterate of the 21st century will not just be those who cannot read or write, but also those who cannot learn essential skills. This will only become more apparent as we reflect on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the workforce.  

“We cannot just abandon learning once we leave formal education. It’s vital that businesses see the value in providing engaging and genuinely useful learning courses for their employees.”