Around the world, learners still place a great deal of faith in education to help them achieve success. But, the way they are obtaining that education is changing and it’s all because the new talent economy has arrived with its gig jobs, unconventional career paths and tech disruption. To meet the demands of this new world of work, learners tell us they are relying less on traditional institutions that have shaped learning for generations and are adopting a “do-it- yourself” approach to education. This opens a new universe of opportunities to help people learn in more accessible ways, more affordably and with better outcomes. The learners in our survey embrace technology and online learning. They also want more vocational education, soft skills training and bite-size learning across the course of their lifetime. Virtual learning for children, online degrees and micro and stackable credentials for adults and on-demand learning for everyone can help meet the needs of today’s sophisticated learner.
Universities should expand access to mid-career adults with short courses, soft skill training and stackable credentials. Employers could be working together with learning institutions to re-skill their workforce. Innovators and education companies can use technology to make education engaging and accessible and government can help address ways to make education more affordable and widely available.
An inaugural Pearson Global Learner Survey (a new study capturing the opinions of learners worldwide) uncovered eight key trends that learners across the globe tell us characterize the way they seek education in the new decade.
With ready access to technology and a changing global economy, people are taking matters into their own hands. They are patching together their education from a menu of options and they believe that self-service learning will become even more commonplace as people seek education across their lives.
The talent economy has arrived and the traditional, linear career path is a thing of the past. Learners are moulding education into what they need for today’s work world, which means 'bite-sized' learning across their entire life.
People are using technology in every aspect of their lives and they are now embracing it as part of their education. From online degrees, artificial intelligence (AI) tools and smart devices, people see the future of learning made easier and more engaging with technology.
Many around the world feel education somehow isn’t working for them. It’s failing their generation, not preparing them for work, is too costly, or out of reach.
The incoming workforce in many countries is open to alternative pathways, especially vocational training.
Workers in China, India, Brazil and Hispano-America are upskilling at far higher rates than their US and UK counterparts, driven in large part by the influence of technology and automation on their jobs.
While STEM skills aren't forgotten, people realize the skills which make us uniquely human are actually the hardest to learn. Skills like creativity, originality, problem-solving and the ability to learn give humans an advantage over machines and learners say they need help mastering them.
Acts of violence have always been the main driver of concerns over school safety. But now learners say that online bullying and social media are making school more difficult for today’s students.