Over two-thirds of men (70 per cent) have not completed any form of education since the age of 30, according to a new nationwide survey by distance learning experts Open Study College, who are encouraging more men to invest in their education to improve employability and career prospects. This coincides with the recent news that the number of job vacancies in the UK hit a record high of 1.1 million, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The research, which polled 2,000 UK males, explored the reasons behind men not wanting to invest further in their education and found that a quarter (24 per cent) admitted to having no drive or motivation to study, while almost half (43 per cent) said they didn’t think additional qualifications were necessary to progress in their careers.
The survey also highlights the need to do more to help with men’s mental health:
• Over two thirds (69 per cent) of 18-30-year-olds polled said they have struggled with their mental health in the last two years.
• 42 per cent said they had taken up studying as a way of improving their mental health.
Samantha Rutter, CEO of Open Study College, which commissioned the study, said: “This new research isn’t surprising as only 20 per cent of our own learners are male. We understand there are many reasons for this, a number of which highlight the differences between male and female learners. Men feel less pressured than women to give themselves every advantage to progress in their careers as they are not affected by the ‘glass ceiling’. Men are also less likely to take career breaks and therefore feel they don’t need further education, but in today’s competitive workplace, our research shows that it’s more important than ever to give yourself every opportunity to improve your employability and career prospects – whatever your gender.
“At Open Study College our ethos has always been to make education accessible to everyone, which is why we pride ourselves on our flexible learning solution, removing the pressure of set deadlines and the need to physically attend a school or college,” said Rutter. “We hope this research will shine a light on the opportunities available and encourage more men to take a leap into further education.”
Additional findings from the survey identified that younger generations put more importance on the need to gain qualifications:
• 92 per cent of 18–21-year-olds felt that additional qualifications were necessary to progress further in your career, compared to only 38 per cent of 41-50-year-olds.
• Even fewer (26 per cent) of 51-60-year-olds said that they felt extra qualifications are necessary.
The poll also revealed a stark contrast between generations when it comes to further education:
• Only one in ten (11 per cent) of 18-21-year-olds surveyed had stopped studying after A Levels (post-secondary education), while a third (29 per cent) have gone on to study for a Master’s degree.
• In comparison, almost a third (29 per cent) of 51-60-year-olds said they had finished their studies after GCSEs and only six per cent held a Master’s degree as their highest qualification.
