EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Which Skills Matter? After a whirlwind couple of years, we know that both training providers and buyers are keen to get learning back on track. To help training providers and learners set their training goals for the coming year, we have taken stock of course interest over the last 3 years and look at what 2022 and beyond might bring. In this report, the 3 most notable trends we’ve observed are: i. 2 distinct and opposite responses to COVID-19 job losses - 1) flight to stability, and 2) starting a business ii. A significant increase in interest in technical and vocational skills training courses iii. A more holistic approach to learning with growth in hobbies & interests, and mental health courses We also discuss how skills shortages, the growing importance of the green economy, and return to work might impact learning trends in 2022.
CAROL PANG Editor
3
Top 10 Categories - by Views
COVID-19 has driven increased course interest in: ● Health & Social Care ● Hobbies & Interests ● Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty
healthcare sector has shown itself to be resilient and one that offers job stability - which would be a plus point for learners.
Health & Social Care remains the most popular category by page views in 2021 having climbed up from the 4th position in 2019. This is likely driven by the outsized role that frontline health workers have played in this pandemic and may have strengthened many people’s calling to care for others through working in this sector. Moreover, amidst the hits that sectors such as hospitality and tourism have taken during the pandemic, the
Meanwhile, Hobbies & Interests, and Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty notched up the highest climbs into the top 10 in the last 3 years. This is again driven by COVID-19, as many have found themselves spending more time at home due to work-from-home or remote learning directives, being furloughed, and/or losing their jobs. Engineering/ Industry.is another new entrant into the top 10 over the last 2 years.
Note: course interest statistics are based on findcourses.co.uk’s user statistics for the years ending 30 Sep 2021, 30 Sep 2020 and 30 Sep 2019.
5
Top 10 Categories - by Enquiries Apart from page views, we also look at course enquiries to ascertain trends in course interest. Course enquiries refer to requests by users for more information about the courses. The top 3 categories by enquiries have been remarkably stable for the last 3 years with the first 3 positions being held by Health & Social Care, Mental Health and Business & Management respectively.
Technical & vocational courses are enjoying a rise in popularity e.g. in: ● Construction ● Art & Design ● Engineering / Industry
Following the trends in the top 10 categories by views, Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty, and Hobbies & Interests made the steepest climbs into the top 10 categories by course enquiries over the last 3 years. This is again caused largely by the impact of the pandemic. Art & Design, and Engineering/ Industry are new entrants into the top 10 this year while Construction has climbed several rungs into the top 5.
Note: course interest statistics are based on findcourses.co.uk’s user statistics for the years ending 30 Sep 2021, 30 Sep 2020 and 30 Sep 2019.
6
SKILLS ON THE RISE
Stability & Entrepreneurship Like the rest of the world, the pandemic has hit the UK economy hard in the last couple of years and decimated jobs across numerous industries. We observe 2 distinct responses to these job losses. The first was a flight to stability as learners looked to gain skills in more resilient sectors such as healthcare and education. Course interest in Health and Social Care showed an 18% growth over the last 3 years. The highest risers within this category are Nursing (82%), Childcare (54%), and Social Care/ Work (45%). Meanwhile, Teacher Training more than doubled in views with a growth of 111%. This category includes Teaching Assistant Training courses which rose 36%.
A second response was the very opposite of seeking more stable pastures. Many began or at the very least thought about trying their hand at running their own business. This saw course interest in Entrepreneurship rise nearly twofold with a 96% increase over the last 3 years.
8
SKILLS ON THE RISE
Technical & Vocational Skills There has been a noticeable increase in interest in technical and vocational training over the last 3 years. This is indicated by the rising popularity of courses in the Engineering / Industry, Construction and Art and Design categories. Course interest by views in the Engineering/Industry category has surged 51% over the last 3 years. Within this category, Electrical training courses are the fastest growing sub-category having risen 66% in the same time period. While course interest in Construction has remained stable with a 5% growth over the last 3 years, the sub-categories Carpentry and Plastering have notched up significant gains of 109% and 54% respectively. Meanwhile, Art and Design displayed an impressive 208% growth in the last 3 years, with courses such as in graphic design, Adobe software and BTEC in Art & Design.
9
SKILLS ON THE RISE
Hobbies, Interests & Wellbeing Many people had more time on their hands during the pandemic. This could be because they saved time on travelling by working or studying from home. Or it could be because of a cut in working hours due to job losses or being furloughed. We have seen this contribute to users taking a more holistic approach in their learning. One aspect of this can be seen in the increased time (and money) users are willing to spend on their interests. Course views in Hobbies & Interests grew 109% over the last 2 years . The highest contributors to this growth are the courses in the sub-categories Craft Courses (89%), DIY and Home Improvement (81%%) and somewhat surprisingly, Tarot, Occult & Mythology (402%).
A second aspect of this holistic approach is shown by users’ increased interest in improving mental health resilience - both for themselves and to help others. Course interest in Mental Health courses increased by 43% over the last 3 years while the sub-category Counselling posted a 176% gain.
10
OUTLOOK 2022
Skills Shortages Drive Demand In the short-term, we expect a rise in demand for training courses to be driven by skills shortages. The Confederation of British Industry has said that the lack of skilled workers that is disrupting businesses in industries from farming to fast food could last for up to 2 years. A spectacular example of this disruption can be seen when a shortage of qualified lorry drivers resulted in the temporary fuel crisis this autumn. This shortage in drivers is reflected in our user statistics. Course interest in Driving courses rose a substantial 95%, which in turn supported a 9% growth of the Logistics & Transport category over the last 3 years. In the longer term, we see demand for training coming from growing sectors such as the green economy. We’ve already started seeing increasing interest in green skills, with course views in Energy & Environment growing 82%, and a notable 19% increase in Sustainability.
12
OUTLOOK 2022
Return to Work As people gradually return to work, we expect this to affect training buyers and learners’ behaviours in a couple of ways. First, learners who are used to working from home during the pandemic might find themselves having less leisure time as they now have to resume their travels to work. Nevertheless, this could be mitigated to a certain extent by hybrid or remote working - a preferred choice by 60% of British workers post-pandemic. This would then impact whether UK learners will still spend as much time in cultivating their interests. We will thus be keeping an eye on whether and how much course interest in
Hobbies & Interests will decline in the coming year. Second, the pandemic has necessitated the move of learning to the virtual space. With people now returning to the physical space of the office, it will be interesting to see whether and how much online learning will continue to be adopted. Preliminary results from our annual survey of learning and development professionals in the UK indicate that 70%+ of L&D professionals plan to use more technology in their L&D programme in 2022. Amongst the technologies that they plan to adopt are virtual classrooms (more than half) and e-learning courses (around three quarters).
13