A huge 94% of employees say they would would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development, whilst a 2018 LinkedIn survey showed that more than half of senior leaders and managers identified soft skills – like leadership, problem solving and project management – as their number one development priority.

With this in mind, the government has launched a new campaign designed to enable staff to boost their skills while working at home. The ‘An Hour to Skill’ campaign, part of the Skills Toolkit, effectively encourages workers to improve their skills in areas in high demand by employers by taking a free course. Courses range from practical maths to digital design and marketing, and are designed to help enhance individuals’ prospects in their current role, or in applying for a new job.

Gillian Keegan, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, said:

“I’m delighted to launch An Hour to Skill and thank all of the great organisations that have joined forces to help boost the nation’s skills and job prospects at such an important time for our economy. Progressing your learning doesn’t have to be a mammoth task – spending just one hour a week on a free online course can make a real difference to your earning potential. We’re confident that learning through The Skills Toolkit can give you the skills employers are looking for.”

Organisations such as the Open University, Google, Microsoft, Lloyd’s Bank, Accenture, Amazon and FutureLearn have supported the initiative by providing their own courses on the platform.

Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor at The Open University said:

“We’re pleased to share relevant, high-quality, free OpenLearn courses via The Skills Toolkit. All courses have appeal across the spectrum, with opportunities for all regardless of age, life stage or prior level of learning. Using our world leading expertise and capability in online teaching, our short courses are imaginatively designed to inform and educate in a time-sensitive way.

“We hope people continue to benefit from their skill-boosting content and for employers to back them too. We know that for many these free courses have been a lifeline in these difficult times and can provide a stepping-stone to more formal learning.”

Workplace DNA, by International Workplace, is a microlearning service designed to allow employees to undertake training in short periods of time, at a time that suits them. To find out more, click here.