The UK must embrace lifelong learning if it is to make progress towards improved productivity, warns The Open University. This warning comes as productivity figures released today reveal how Britain compares with its fellow G7 nations and largest global trading partners. The final estimate of the International Comparison of Productivity, released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), confirms that output per hour in the UK lagged 18 percentage points behind the G7 average in 2014, and a staggering 36 percentage points behind Germany.[1]
The latest statistics from the ONS come just a few weeks after the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills committee published a report questioning the value of the government’s Productivity Plan. Within the report, the committee of MPs called for greater detail from the government around plans to improve ‘basic’ and ‘employability’ skills.[2] The importance of education in addressing productivity levels is widely acknowledged, but The Open University argues that attempts to boost productivity through education must focus on a reconsideration of the country’s very attitude towards learning.
Steve Hill, Director of External Engagement at The Open University, comments: “Productivity underpins economic growth, playing a vital role in our economy and society as a whole. As the UK continues to face up to the challenges of the productivity puzzle, embracing lifelong learning becomes even more important.
“The fact is that the skills and knowledge we pick up during the early part of our life will not necessarily prepare us for the challenges of a rapidly changing work environment. Ensuring individuals have the opportunity to adapt in order to fulfil their potential at all stages of their career must play a part in Britain’s attempt to boost productivity.
“Decision makers and business leaders should not underestimate the role of education throughout an individual’s working life, recognising the benefits in terms of employee engagement and productivity which come from sustained investment in training. The pace of change in our economy means that re-training and up-skilling existing employees is more crucial than ever if businesses are to ‘future-proof’ their employees and maximise their own productivity.”
About The Open University
The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Since it began in 1969, the OU has taught more than 1.8 million students and has almost 200,000 current students, including more than 15,000 overseas.
The OU regularly supports over 1,300 organisations, including KMPG, Hay Group and the NHS, delivering flexible learning solutions at scale to address skills shortages and develop high performing workforces. Four out of five FTSE 100 companies have sponsored staff to take OU courses.
With a global reach and as the UK’s leader in part time education, with 76 per cent of OU’s current students studying whilst working full or part time, the OU is well equipped to deliver consistent learning at scale to dispersed workforces.
In the latest assessment exercise for university research (Research Excellence Framework), nearly three quarters (72%) of The Open University’s research was assessed as 4 or 3 star – the highest ratings available – and awarded to research that is world-leading or internationally excellent. The Open University is unique among UK universities having both an access mission and demonstrating research excellence.
Regarded as Britain’s major e-learning institution, the OU is a world leader in developing technology to increase access to education on a global scale. Its vast ‘open content portfolio’ includes free study units on OpenLearn, which received 5.2million unique visitors in 2012/13, and materials on iTunes U, which has recorded more than 66 million downloads. For further information please visit: www.open.ac.uk
