2023 Course Trends and Skills Outlook | findcourses.co.uk

Why Our Learners Learn? (1 of 2)

As a company, we are passionate about connecting our learners with the right education. We believe that by striving to understand our learners’ motivations for investing in training, we can better support their learning goals.

These aims were the key drivers that prompted us to hold Upskill & Reskill, a free virtual learning fair, in January 2023. The fair gave our learners an opportunity to chat live to training providers, find out about available courses and attend webinar master classes.

We also found out from attendees that around half of them attended the fair because they are interested in upskilling (to excel in their current role or to gain a promotion) or reskilling (to change careers or give themselves more career options).

The helpful interactions we had during the fair with our learners and training providers guided our thought process as we put together the 2023 Course Trends report. We wanted to focus on not just presenting the statistics but to try and give an insight into why our learners are learning what they are learning

Why Our Learners Learn? (2 of 2)

This was what we discovered as we looked at the course trends data from findcourses.co.uk’s user statistics:

● Echoing the attendees from the Upskill & Reskill fair, one of our learners’ main motivations is to develop their professional skills.

● To ensure that they are future-proofing their careers, our learners recognise that they must keep pace with the rapid rate of technological change. They are thus looking into training in digital skills, data analytics and AI in increasing numbers.

● The pandemic has shifted some learning behaviours. mental health training as well as leisure courses that contribute to wellbeing are being prioritised, and this trend looks set to continue.

We hope this report gives you a glimpse into why people are learning and in turn, inspire you on your own learning journey.

Happy learning!

Carol Pang Editor

Top 10 Categories

Top 4 course categories over the last 3 years:

1. Health & Social Care

2. Business & Management

3. Finance

4. IT & Computer Skills

Course interest statistics are based on findcourses.co.uk’s user statistics for the years ending 31 Dec 2022, 31 Dec 2021, and 31 Dec 2020. Our website attracts over 2 million visitors a year.

When we looked at course interest trends over the last three years, we found that the education categories that are most popular with learners have been remarkably consistent.

The four categories that have been most popular with our learners over the past three years are Health & Social Care, Business & Management, Finance, and IT & Computer Skills

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What can this tell us about learners’ motivation?

findcourses.co.uk is a site that caters to a wide range of learners, from those looking for counselling courses and communication skills training to cookery classes.

It is therefore significant that the four most popular educational categories on our site have been those that are associated with career development.

We can thus surmise that while learners do want to have fun (see the rise in the Hobbies and Interests category), our learners’ primary motivation is their professional development.

Top 10 Categories

Meanwhile, in the lower half of the top ten list, there are a few course categories that demonstrate a steady level of popularity.

Construction, Engineering/Industry and Health & Safety have moved only one or two positions in their rankings over the last three years. This shows that learners’ interest in studying courses in these categories have remained steadily high in recent years.

Categories with stable level of popularity:

1. Construction

2. Engineering/Industry

3. Health & Safety

Rounding off the top ten list are three categories whose rankings are likely impacted by the lingering aftermath of the 2019/2020 global pandemic. These are Mental Health, Hobbies & Interests, and Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty. We shall take a closer look at these categories in a later section as we attempt to take stock of the impact of COVID-19 three years on.

Investing in Digital Skills to Combat

Obsolescence (1 of 2)

Skills obsolescence is a common phenomenon in the modern workplace, where technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate This means that skills that were highly valued a few years ago may become irrelevant or even obsolete as new technologies emerge.

The rapid pace of technological innovation means that employees must continuously update their skills to remain relevant and valuable to their organisations. Failure to do so can lead to a loss of productivity, decreased job security, and even unemployment. In today's highly competitive job market, companies are looking for employees who possess a broad range of digital skills to remain ahead of their competitors

Numerous multi-country studies have shown that one of the most effective ways to combat skills obsolescence is through digital skills investment According to one such report, The AWS Gallup Global Digital Skills Study, investing in advanced digital skills will benefit individuals and could raise annual global GDP by US$6.3tn each year.

Investing in Digital Skills to Combat

Obsolescence (2 of 2)

This urgency in ensuring that workers are skilled up with the right digital skills training has cemented the IT & Computer Skills category’s position in the top four most popular categories for the last three years. The IT & Computer Skills sub-category has also seen course interest rise by 80% since 2018.

This demonstrates that our learners strongly agree with the strategy of investing in digital skills training to future proof their careers.

Next-Gen Tech Drives AI and Data Analytics Growth

The oft-talked about potential disruptor of job roles has well and truly arrived in 2023. ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) developments have been prompting numerous heated conversations around the proverbial office water cooler, and have even been the cause of some existential soul-searching.

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that is capable of generating new and unique data, such as images, text, or sound. It uses machine learning models to learn patterns from existing data and then creates new data based on those patterns.

No matter how you view ChatGPT and generative AI – whether you think they threaten to take over certain jobs in your industry or you believe they can help you do your job better – these are developments that cannot be ignored.

While the field of AI has historically been the purview of the few rather than the masses, ChatGPT has shown a way in which the application of AI can be easily understood and used by the lay person.

We therefore expect these exciting developments to lift learners’ interests in related categories. This has in fact happened with the Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence course categories on findcourses.co.uk. Although these categories are still relatively small, they are exhibiting rising trends with the former posting a 393% increase and the latter rising 605% since 2018.

Pandemic Fuels Demand for Mental Health Training & Support

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an increased need for mental health services. WHO reports that the pandemic triggered a 25% rise in anxiety and depression globally.

This rise in demand for the services of mental health professionals has in turn led to an increased demand for mental health training.

This has helped solidify Mental Health’s position in findcourses.co.uk’s top ten categories list, with a 213% increase in course views since the pre-pandemic 2018.

One of Mental Health’s sub-categories –Counselling – has proven to be a star performer, with a 206% increase in course interest since 2018.

To give you an idea of the Counselling courses that are inspiring so many more people to learn, here are a few titles of the courses listed in the Counselling category:

• Advanced Counsellor & Psychotherapist Level 4

• Counselling and Psychology Course

• Introduction to Counselling - QLS Level 2 Course

• Counselling Diploma

We believe this goes to show that a large part of our community of learners is a community of do-ers – they are interested in getting the qualifications and learning the skills that can help others in times of crisis.

Prioritising Leisure Time for Wellbeing Benefits

Two other categories that have seen rising course interest since the pandemic are Hobbies & Interests, and Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty.

Course views for Hobbies & Interests grew by 69% in the last three years while Lifestyle, Fitness & Beauty posted a 65% increase since 2018.

In last year’s course trends report, we speculated that this growth occurred because people had more leisure time during the pandemic This could be due to the time saved on travelling by working or studying from home, or due to job furloughs.

It is interesting to see that this trend has continued even after the pandemic – Hobbies & Interests has climbed up to its highest position in the last three years as the fifth most popular category with our learners.

One possible reason could be that the new normal of the hybrid workplace has taken hold in the UK with employees placing more premium on the time they can save by working from home at least part of the time

Another possible reason is that having experienced the fun and wellbeing benefits of taking hobbies and interests classes during the pandemic, learners are motivated to continue to pursue them.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the learning trends and skills outlook for 2023 presents a challenging yet promising landscape for learners. The increasing demand for digital skills and data-driven decision-making means that those who possess technical skills such as coding, data analysis, and artificial intelligence will be in high demand. Soft skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication will also remain essential for success in any industry.

For our community of learners, it is crucial to remain adaptable and open to continuous learning The rapid pace of technological advancement means that skills learned today may become outdated in just a few years. Therefore, workers must be willing to upskill and reskill as needed to remain relevant and competitive in the job market. Fortunately, there are numerous opportunities for learners to acquire new skills, including online courses, professional development programmes, and skills bootcamps.

As we move forward, learners should focus on developing a growth mindset that prioritises lifelong learning and personal development. By embracing new technologies and trends, learners can stay ahead of the curve and be well-positioned to thrive in the job market of the future.