51 per cent seek development to increase job security
12 December 2008
The economic downturn is forcing workers to focus on training or learning a new skill, according to research published today.
A survey of 2,000 adults by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) found that while over half (57 per cent) of workers are concerned about their jobs as a result of the economic downturn, a similar proportion (51 per cent) said they would focus on training to improve their career prospects and job security.
Chris Banks, chairman of the LSC, said learning a new skill was crucial to weathering the economic storm.
“It’s true that learning new skills and retraining can lead to a refreshing career change, but it’s also important to realise that employees with transferable skills are often seen as the biggest assets to employers.
“A small investment in learning new skills will make you better prepared to tackle any eventuality, particularly in a tough economy,” he said.
According to the survey, the top three skills employees wanted to learn or refresh were communication, IT and literacy (32 per cent), problem solving (26 per cent) and self-management (22 per cent).