It’s ‘back to school’ for pupils across the nation as their six weeks of leisure comes to an end, signalling the start of a new term. And while they’re unlikely thrilled to be returning to the classroom, the same can’t be said for the UK’s workers who appear to be chomping at the bit to expand their knowledge…

A recent survey found that a whopping 92 per cent of employees want their employers to have a keen focus on learning and development in their roles.

Learning is the new commodity, and employers are keen to offer this in the scramble to attract and retain their employees in a competitive market in which nine in 10 are facing challenges with recruitment.

Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR, weighs in on the subject:

The stats indicate that learning in the workplace isn’t just related to the skills of a trade or discipline but also those ‘softer skills’ that are applicable across industries and to any profession—and very much needed in today’s world of work.

“In fact, diversity, equality, and inclusion awareness is our most accessed course, followed by mental health awareness. In at third place is cyber security best practices, and we’ve seen high engagement with courses on GDPR, and time management rank highly in popularity too.

“Soft skills are no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ in the modern workplace. More than nine in ten employees (92 per cent) say they’re important for their career. That outweighs sentiment towards other skills like sector-specific knowledge (84 per cent), digital skills (84 per cent), numeracy skills (82 per cent) and technical skills (65 per cent).

“Rather, employers and employees alike are increasingly seeking a new skillset of modern-day working practices that combines both, and requires all teams to have a degree of cross-functional knowledge that embraces areas like HR, IT, and Marketing…

“Particularly in the post-pandemic world, people are seeking more purpose than ever from their roles in the form of fulfilment and satisfaction from their work. A recent survey found that half of UK employees value work relationships over a pay rise. And so soft skills are essential in achieving positive relationships with colleagues, collaboration, and a positive work culture. Plus, employers that empower their staff to continually enhance their skills and knowledge, comes up trumps in the war for talent.

“Of late, job vacancies that don’t require a degree have soared by 90 per cent as three-quarters of employers choose to look beyond academic qualifications and instead favour potential when it comes to job applicants. This shows learning and development is an area that is constantly evolving. As employees’ priorities shift and their goal posts change, so will their requirements when it comes to growth. That’s why e-learning is a great way to provide employees with the ability to develop and hone their skills in a number of avenues while staying up to date with their wants and needs.

“Workplace learning and development cannot be seen solely as a box ticking exercise. To retain your employees and prevent business stagnation and high staff turnover, e-learning must be a continued focus for employers. And while soft skills have historically been overlooked, it’s clearly time they formed a key part of your businesses e-learning strategy. Learning is the modern age key skillset, and, in my experience, the best employees are those with an aptitude for learning. So, give your people the tools and means to do so, and you’ll set your business up for growth. Not only that, but you’ll also reap the benefits of an engaged, satisfied workforce.”