Findcourses.co.uk supports Learning at Work Day 2013

On 23^rd May workplaces all across the UK, including corporations, SMEs, public sector organisations and government departments, celebrated Learning at Work (LAW) Day, the national event dedicated to the promotion of learning and development in the workplace. Organised by the Campaign for Learning as part of Adult Learners’ Week, the theme of this year’s edition – the 14^th since its inception in 1999 – was ‘Many Ways to Learn’, dedicated to highlighting the many different formats in which continuous workplace development can be secured in support of an organisation’s overall goals.

For the second year running, Findcourses.co.uk worked in national partnership with the Campaign for Learning to help raise awareness of the event and to use its experience in the sector to encourage both companies and training organisations to support the initiative. As part of this activity, Findcourses.co.uk built on the success stories of 2012 and once again offered a “match-making” service dedicated to putting HR and L&D Professionals interested in organising an event in contact with trainers looking to contribute by providing seminars, taster sessions and workshops to their staff. “Essentially, the match-making service we offer for Learning at Work Day is an extension of what we do all day, every day” said Kate Butterworth, Site Manager at Findcourses.co.uk. “Our job is to help those looking for training to find and contact the right providers in order to advance their professional development. For Learning at Work Day, we just extended that concept and applied it on a bigger scale in support of a really important national initiative. We listened to the companies that contacted us, understood the skills and areas they were looking to develop among their staff, and got them in touch with providers that could deliver suitable workshops and taster sessions for their LAW Day”, she continued.

Initial reports indicate positive reactions on the part of the providers, companies and, most importantly, the employees that took part in the LAW Day activities themselves. “From our own and others’ research, we have seen time and time again that training and professional development opportunities are absolutely crucial factors in maintaining high levels of job satisfaction across different industries. Learning at Work Day is a fun way for organisations to show their employees that they are committed to providing these opportunities and serious about investing in their human resources in the long-term”, continued Butterworth.

In other areas of the country, a series of events organised by companies, training providers and national partners of the Campaign for Learning – including The Open University’s ‘Inspiring Learning’ Award and The Science Museum’s workshops on the future of digital and countless other activities – contributed to making the 2013 edition of Learning at Work Day a rich, fun and valuable celebration of professional development. The hope is that increasing awareness of such events will contribute to the creation of a true culture of workplace learning that will help UK organisations, and the country overall, fill critical skills gaps and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly demanding global market.