Video: Learn new skills for your return to work

Carol Smillie has launched the ‘Skills Street’ campaign for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), urging more people to learn a new skill.

New research released today by the LSC reveals the barriers people feel stand in the way of them learning an additional skill – with almost half (39%) of adults blaming a lack of time.  In less than ten years, there will be very few unskilled jobs in the UK and the government predict that two out of three jobs in the future will require a higher level of skills and better qualifications. 

As part of ‘Skills Street’, Carol Smillie and an expert panel visited a number of homes on a street in Yorkshire to assess the skills residents have and those they feel they lack.  The panel offered advice, highlighted the skills they may benefit from and suggested local training providers – demonstrating how accessible modern learning can be.  One of the main aims of Skills Street is to show people that learning a new skill is not as difficult as it may first appear and to showcase the variety of learning and funding options available including Apprenticeships and the Adult Learning Grant.

Other key findings from the report:
• A third (29%) of adults feel a lack of money is the main reason for them not learning a new skill. 
• 13% adults said they felt they were too old to learn a new skill
• 40% male adults said they didn’t have the time to learn a new skill
• Over a third of female adults stated a lack of money as the major reason for them not taking up a new skill
• Investing time and money in learning a new skill could grow your annual salary by £2,000 to £3,000.