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Research suggests e-learners are eager to learn despite barriers

According to a study by e-learning provider SkillSoft, the majority of employees are eager to improve their professional and personal development - despite some of the barriers they have to overcome in order to do so.

A random selection of e-learning users within 16 global organisations participated in the study. Pressure of workload and/or lack of time was cited by 51% of the sample as the main barrier to professional and personal development, with a further 16% saying that interruptions in the workplace made it difficult for them to focus on their learning. For others, it was a lack of management support and encouragement - both at line manager and senior manager level - that prevented them from taking fuller advantage of the e-learning opportunities open to them.

But, the good news for employers is that, despite these constraints, with e-learning, the majority of employees (68%) are taking responsibility for their own development and finding the time and the motivation to learn at their desks when their pressure of work allows. This group dips in and out of e-learning courses during quieter times - typically learning in 10 - 30 minute chunks. Only 9% are able to make use of a dedicated training area at work.

The remainder of the sample (23%) are opting to access e-learning in their own time - either at home (11%) - or by coming into work early; leaving the office late or using their lunch breaks (12%).

Due to the sporadic nature of these learning patterns and because most employees are learning online in small chunks, most of them (77%) either didn't complete the online course in one attempt or didn't finish it at all. Despite this, 93% of respondents say that they still learnt what they needed to; 88% say that they have already used something that they learnt from an online course to help them in their jobs; and 52% have passed on something they have learnt to at least one colleague.

e-Learning also scored highly as a method of training delivery, with 93.5% of the sample stating that they enjoy e-learning and 98% saying that they would recommend it to other colleagues.

Kevin Young, managing director of SkillSoft EMEA said: "It's very encouraging that employees are using e-learning to take increased ownership of their skills development and perhaps more importantly that they are actually applying their knowledge in the workplace, despite the barriers they are experiencing. But organisations are missing a valuable lesson here. Managers ought to be considering how much more effective their teams could be if the organisational culture encouraged the provision of dedicated time in which to learn online - however short this may be. The impact of giving employees a specific amount of time in which to enhance their skills is likely to have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the organisation."

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