Keep up-to-date with the latest L&D trends and research

Skills shortages revealed to be a long term strategic challenge for employers.

According to The Open University’s annual business report published in partnership with the Institute of Directors, UK employers are facing a skills shortage when it comes to hiring specialist, entry level talent.   

People with a strong interest in moving into a digital career have an opportunity to change their fortunes for the better.

There has been plenty written about the ‘next normal’ and the ‘new world of work’ in a post-pandemic world. The overnight shift in the nature and places of work has turned transformation debates into reality – and none more so than in the field of management.

After 15 years as a network specialist, Simon jumped at the chance to broaden his skills with a Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship. Not only that but he managed to get married, move house and welcome his second child at the same time.

Social justice, wellbeing and authenticity. These are some of the key themes in The Open University’s (OU) Trends in Learning 2021 report. Launching at the CIPD’s Festival of Work conference, the annual report identifies and explores emerging trends in the learning and education sectors. 

Behind masks, in gloves and online, during the Coronavirus crisis, the charity sector has continued to do what it does best: support the vulnerable and deliver vital services in the community.

Apprenticeships are a great way for employers to recruit, develop and retain a more diverse workforce. They enable employers to tap into a broader talent pool, which improves diversity of skills and thinking in the workplace. This makes employers more able to meet the challenges facing them today and in the future, as well as enabling them to meet diversity and inclusion targets. And by widening access to learning and job opportunities, apprenticeships create more equal opportunities for all. 

The Open University (OU) delivers an outstanding social work curriculum, partnerships with employers are exemplary, and learning is flexible and responsive. That is the conclusion of the recent Periodic Quality Review of OU social work provision

Apprenticeships enable quicker COVID recovery for English business

Appetite for apprenticeships and work-based learning on the rise amongst English employers in the wake of the COVID vaccine.

The Open University is today calling for significant reform in adult social work and social care to aid the sectors’ recovery from COVID-19.