During the current recession, three in ten adults who are working or looking for work have paid to learn new skills in their own time to help them get new jobs or keep their current one.

This is revealed in a new poll by elemense, the recruitment processing outsourcing company. The survey also found that the 35-44 age range (38%) and 18-24 year olds (34%) were most likely to self-fund skills development to make their job or prospects more secure. Workers in Scotland (36%) were most likely to pay to gain new skills, followed by those in the Midlands (33%), the North, South West and Wales (30% each) and, finally, the South East (26%).

Comment: The survey suggests that many of the people who are most likely to spend their own money and time on skills development were not of working age during the last recession. This might indicate a change in the culture of the workforce, with workers taking more personal responsibility for their career now the concept of a job for life has gone.

From the point of view of the UK’s learning providers, they’re obviously now looking for Scots or Midlanders aged 35 to 44 or 18 to 24. Happy hunting!