A third of employees taking on extra training with a focus on compliance eLearning ahead of GDPR 2018

A huge boost in online training courses for UK employees has also seen a spike in legal compliance training over the past year, with Data Protection and Information Security accounting for over 25% of course completions. Cheaper costs and work-friendly learning management systems also mean that this increase in workplace training favours online learning packages which could spell a significant decline in face-to-face and blended upskilling courses in the UK.

Research recently released from Groupon reveals that businesses are actively upskilling staff at an impressive rate, with a third of employees in the UK taking measures to upskill through extra training and qualifications. Engage in Learning Account Director, Mark Edmonds, says, "Amidst this growth, legal compliance modules with Data Protection and Information Security account for over 25% of course completions in the last year. Reducing risk of non-compliance and the resulting penalties and loss of reputation is at the top of any company's agenda, particularly with the General Data Protection Regulation coming into effect in April 2018".

For many employees and employers, the costs and time-consuming nature of more traditional face-to-face and blended learning approaches to staff training have been the main barriers to staff development, a difficulty when there are legal shifts that affect most businesses in the UK:

• Around 61% believe that learning new skills through face-to-face and blended learning courses is too expensive for the average person, the financial strain of which can be unavoidable during times of legal shift and compliance changes
• This has led to an increase in training managers saying that they are more likely than ever to consider automated online training courses which are significantly cheaper, particularly when purchased in bulk
• Most online training and upskill courses now come with a bite-size learning function built in, allowing learners to study at their own speed and for short periods of time, which reduces time spent away from tasks and makes it easier for employees to integrate training into their working day

This flexible online approach means that staff training and compliance preparedness can take place cost-effectively and can be completed during work hours in bite-sized chunks, at their own pace and with reduced disruption to productivity.