Please note: our survey is still open and we plan to track trends and changes in our learners' perspectives throughout. The results enclosed below are for all 785 survey results between 17:00 GMT 17/03/20 and 10:00 GMT 20/03/20.
We're working hard to measure the impact COVID-19 is having on learning and with the help of our users, we've been able to pull out some preliminary trends on the impact of coronavirus on our ability to learn, our motivation to learn and our learning priorities.
As of 10.00am GMT, we had over 785 responses to the survey, all of which are included in the statistics below.
What you need to know as a training provider
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People still want to learn. 45% of people say they expect to learn more in the next three months due to COVID-19.
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But priorities are changing when it comes to learning. Safety is at the forefront of many learner's minds and they are looking to online courses or rebooking face-to-face training for the future to reflect a shift towards social distancing.
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People's motivations for learning are changing. They’re now more motivated by making use of the time they’ve found themselves with and by the desire to help their communities.
COVID-19: The Role of Training Providers
Q: Is there anything our training providers could do that would make you feel more comfortable with booking a course?
An overwhelming majority of users wanted training providers to switch their classes to online versions, or to provide information about virtual classroom options. Other ways that learners can feel more comfortable with booking training is if the provider offers free re-booking or makes changes to their cancellation or rebooking policy in light of COVID-19.
COVID-19: Impact on Workplace Learning
Q: How has your L&D budget been affected by COVID-19?
Just over 30% of those working in L&D professionally, state that their budgets for learning have been reduced for the coming months.
Q: How are your learning and development activities being impacted in the short-term?
Most training already booked, it seems, will happen as planned: either further into the future or as an online course. Only 19% of respondents reported that they have cancelled all training, compared to just over 80% who have moved it online.*
COVID-19: Impact on Individual Learners
Q: Would you say the coronavirus (COVID-19) has made you more or less likely to learn something in the next 3 months?
45% of respondents said they were more likely to learn in the next three months due to COVID-19, whereas 29% stated they were unsure.
For the 45% that said they were more likely to learn in the next three months, 56% already preferred online learning as a learning method, with one user saying, "Because I am already learning online and have been for almost one year now, the coronavirus won't really affect my learning. I’ve still got a few more years of learning to go as well."
For those that were unsure, 60% of them wanted training providers to do more to highlight online and virtual options and 29% wanted free re-booking options to help them make an informed decision in the coming months.
Q: Why do you think you are more likely to study in the next 3 months?
Of those who say they expect to learn more because of COVID-19, 53% say this is because they will have more time to be able to dedicate to learning. For others, there is a real focus on employability and job-seeking ability with their learning: with 34% wanting to train to become more valuable to their current employers and 23% to help
Q: What are you looking to learn in the coming months?
There is a swing towards management training, as well as a focus on qualifications and skills in what learners plan to focus on in the coming months.
Leadership, named one of the Top 5 soft skills in our 2019 Learning and Development report has been overshadowed in the wake of COVID-19 by management and engineering.
Q: Why do you think you are less likely to study in the next three months?
For those that expect to study less in the coming months, stress is a big concern. People also cited feeling distracted and unable to focus due to the uncertainty of the situation as one of the major reasons they will not be studying as much in the coming months.
For some working in the healthcare sector, time will be the biggest barrier to learning, with 12% of respondents saying they will have less time to study.
Some users also stated that they needed more personalised face-to-face support in order to get the most out of learning. This might be an opportunity for some training providers to focus on a one-to-one tuition experience virtually to support these learners.
* Please note, respondents could choose more than 1 answer
