The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) recently conducted their annual survey and found that the numbers of adults in the UK interested in further education has hit a 20 year high!

Apparently 47% of the UK adult population are planning to participate in some form of study in the next three years which is great news. Interestingly, the survey discovered that the adults who stated that they were ‘very unlikely’ to sign up to further education in the next three years has significantly dropped from 47% last year to 34%.

One of the obvious reasons for this surge in further education interest is the current recession and fears about job security as a consequence.

• Three in five full time employees stated that they planned to study in the next 3 years. This is a jump of 13% from 2009.
• 58% of part time workers have indicated that they also planned to participate in further education.
• Two thirds of job seekers interviewed also said that studying was high on their agenda.
• The under 25’s are particularly keen to get involved in further education this year, as youth unemployment is currently high. Apparently three quarters of 17-24 year olds who have just left full time education plan to study again within the next 3 years.
• A third of those aged between 55-64 and a fifth of those aged 65-74 are also planning to further their knowledge and career prospects by signing up for further education.

The Chief Executive of NIACE, Alan Tuckett believes that a “growing appetite” for adult learning in Britain is a positive consequence of the recession. He stated that “We must make sure that provision of all sorts is available to respond to it. The government will need to resist the temptation to cut back on further education and training as it seeks to balance the books, employers will need to reverse the reductions of the past couple of years, and we will all need to be creative in exploiting the opportunities presented by the new technologies. For a country that relies for its prosperity on the creativity and skill of its people, investment in adult learning is as important as investment in the banks.”

The My Jotter Social Network has been specially developed for you so that you can interact with other students and educators, reaping the benefits of their knowledge, insights and advice.

This network should help you enormously when you are trying to digest information and ideas and should help you to prepare for your assignments and exams.

All you need to do is get involved.  If you have a specific interest or are currently studying a particular topic you can join the specific group to share experiences.

There are many benefits

• Speaking with students who are studying the same course can be a great motivation if you feel a little overwhelmed with things, or if you’re feeling a bit stressed out with the workload.  You’re never alone and getting involved can give you that ‘boost’ and encouragement to go the distance.
• If you are stuck on a particular issue, you have a network of ‘friends’ to whom you can turn to for help and advice.  They will be able to share their thoughts and help set you in the right direction, by sharing course notes and information. They may also suggest ideas which you had not previously considered! Likewise you can do the same for them!  Explaining a concept or knowledge of a specific subject matter to others helps reinforce your own understanding of it – this is a great confidence booster.
• Your study ‘friends’ can help you to adopt good study habits which you will find very useful.
• Interacting with others who are studying the same topics can make the course much more enjoyable – let’s face it, studying in isolation can be a little boring.  It’s great to meet like minded people and get inspiration from them.  You may end up becoming life long buddies with some of your study group members, and perhaps stick around to assist the next wave of students coming through.

We hope that you make the most of this unique network and that you reap all the benefits for becoming a member!