Boring, intimidating and unproductive - that's how too many of us remember school. Worryingly, for many of us, research has found that training in the workplace is being hampered because employees have bad memories of their schooldays. According to a survey commissioned from NOP by e-learning company Academee, four out of five employees say their years in the classroom failed to inspire them to keep learning during their working lives. Although three in five workers thought school was 'fun', one in three respondents to the survey said that they resist formal training at work because of the miserable time they had at school.
Most people bring learning fears they developed as children into the workplace as adults.
So even those who enjoyed school have left old-style classroom training behind. Learning needs to be endemic to the company culture. While he admits that it is up to employees to take responsibility for their own training, he believes that employers could help themselves by promoting the concept of learning in the work environment. You can change their perception towards learning that makes it more accessible, and encourage them to explore areas of relevance to them. The problem could cause a new kind of brain drain for UK plc.