Snippets of what caught our eye in the world of learning
Learning Trend #1:
Are you a training provider of courses in Health and Social Care? Or perhaps you're training a new generation of educators? Whether you're offering courses in finance or mental health, you need to take a look at findcourses.co.uk's latest 2022 Course Trends and Skills Outlook report.
The report looks at the trends of course interest over the past 3 years to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on learning. Course categories which have received a boost from the impact of the pandemic include Health and Social Care, and Hobbies and Interests.
Meanwhile, learners have responded to the economic pain caused by the pandemic in 2 distinct ways. The first is a flight to stability to more stable professions such as in Nursing and Teaching. The second is a push that some may have needed to try their hand at starting their own business with an increase in course interest in Entrepreneurship.
Get these insights and more in the free report!
Learning Trend #2:
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation released its 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) which benchmarks and measures company policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
Some of the biggest companies in the world now have CEI rankings, with highlights including:
- 379 of the Fortune 500 companies have official CEI ratings, with an average score of 94%.
- 91% of all businesses with CEI ratings offer transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage while a smaller percentage of Fortune 500 companies (71%) do so.
- 77% of CEI-rated businesses offer comprehensive domestic partnership benefits while only 56% of Fortune 500 companies offer the same.
Learning Trend #3:
Apprenticeships is back in the news as online retail giant Amazon announces the creation of 1,500 new apprenticeships across the UK. The apprenticeship positions including 200 degree-level places are in areas such as publishing, retailing, marketing, and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG).
Stephen Isherwood, chief executive of the Institute of Student Employers, believes that the move "reflects what we hear from many employers, that apprentice training routes deliver an increasingly important source of talent." He also thinks that the government should allow employers "greater flexibility in how they spend their levy pot" in order to encourage more apprenticeships.
UK employers had lost £2bn over the previous two years in apprenticeship levy funds that they were unable to spend.
Learning Trend #4:
Thirty companies in the UK have signed up for 4-day workweek trials as considerations of work-life balance increases in the wake of the pandemic. The employees of these companies will move from a 40-hour working week to a four-day, 32-hour working week with no loss in pay for six months.
According to Joe Ryle, the director of the 4 Day Week UK campaign, in order to counter "the great resignation, organisations should embrace the four-day week as a way of retaining staff and attracting new talent.”
The study will measure the programme's effect on productivity, employee mental health, the environment, as well as gender equality.
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Learning Trend #5:
Substantial numbers of older workers (aged 45+) are experiencing ageism in the workplace, a report from workingwise.co.uk shows. In the survey, a third of older workers reported experiencing ageism while interviewing for a role. Due to the prevailing ageism, 44% of respondents resorted to lying about their age on their CV when applying for a role.
Gillian Nissim, founder of workingwise.co.uk, said “We need to support, and embrace the skills and experience of older workers in the workplace. We need to treat older workers as experienced individuals if we want to start to close the record-high 1 million jobs that we as an economy are struggling to fill.”
Older workers looking for a job or change in job role are demonstrating incredible flexibility. The vast majority of older workers (85%) are open to acquiring new skills. In addition, 51% are willing to consider a job share while 54% have changed sector for their latest role.
Each year, we help more than 1.5 million UK learners find the right course for them. Contact us to find out how we can help market your courses!
