More Brits turning to online learning sites, figures show

More Brits are turning to online learning sites to develop new skills, according to research from Hitwise.

Figures released by the company showed that over 4 million people in Britain searched “how to” queries in the first quarter of 2016, whilst 1.3 million Brits visited a learning site over the same period.

Entrepreneurship

The research looked at the different age groups when it came to what Brits are searching for online and found that those aged 18 to 34 are over three times more likely to search for “how to code.”

Those aged over 34 were found to be more likely to search for topics relating to entrepreneurship. Brits in this age group are 135 per cent more likely to search for advice on how to become self-employed and 109 per cent more likely to search for how to create a business plan.

The figures also showed that the younger generation make the most visits to online learning sites, accounting for 50 per cent of all visits.

Trend

Commenting on the figures, Hitwise Managing Director Nigel Wilson said: “This trend supports the UK population’s desire to educate themselves in order to support their work life, be that for employment or entrepreneurial ventures.”

He stated that the “sheer pace of digitalisation” within the workforce in the UK means that young people are required to learn with almost an “immediate effect.”

Wilson went on to provide examples of online learning sites that are contributing to year-on-year growth, such as FutureLearn, Udemy and YouTube’s video tutorials.