Why invest in Learning and Development?

Develop the staff you need to succeed

Face the future with confidence, with flexible, scalable education.

Organisations don’t stand still and neither should your staff's skills. The UK skills gap cost business £6.6 billion in 2020. But how can you upskill busy staff, at a pace and place that suits their needs and yours? With The Open University.

• £6.6 billion cost of plugging short term skills gaps in 2020 (up from 2019)*
• 56% of employers experience skills gaps*
• 61% of businesses are less agile than they need to be*

Professional development for all sectors, sizes and locations

Whether you’re a major multinational, ambitious SME or dedicated public service, our flexible and scalable online learning is suitable for organisations of all sizes, sectors and locations.

We combine academic excellence with technological expertise to deliver flexible work-based learning to advance the ambitions of your business.

Our unrivalled 50-year pedigree providing innovative, accessible learning means we’re been trusted by three-quarters of the FTSE 100 to upskill their staff.

From IBM and Travis Perkins, to NHS Trusts across the country, we partner with more than 2,400 employers to develop tailored L&D solutions to unlock the potential of their people and organisation.

Focusing on high-impact areas and significant skills gaps – including digital skills, management and sector specialisms – we can help you develop an effective learning strategy for success, succession and business transformation.

Why invest in upskilling your staff?

A culture of lifelong learning and professional development can help businesses to innovate, grow and thrive in a constantly evolving landscape.

Partnering with The Open University can unlock the potential of your workforce and prepare your workforce for the future.

We offer a wide range of flexible, online L&D solutions for businesses, supporting you to:

• Future-proof your operations with a highly skilled and agile workforce
• Prepare for business transformation with vital digital and leadership skills
• Grow-your-own talent, as a cost-effective alternative to hiring in expertise
• Enhance productivity with immediately applicable expertise
• Ensure seamless succession with a pipeline of highly trained talent
• Retain and develop the skills of promising colleagues
• Attract the best new employees with a strong L&D offer
• Diversify your workforce by removing barriers to training and progression

Our benefits to your business

Our UK-leading online education is empowering, cost-effective and immediate; transforming individuals, businesses and the economy. We are:  

 

Flexible

Our online and blended learning approach means students can study at a pace and place that suits them, reducing disruption for staff and business, and making learners more likely to succeed in their studies

 

Accessible

Our ‘inclusive-by-design’ professional programmes are accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds, regardless of their prior educational achievements. This helps you attract and advance staff who might not otherwise succeed, widening participation and supporting social mobility

 

Scalable

Our national reach enables consistent educational programmes to be delivered at scale, across geographically dispersed workforces. From individual learners to whole cohorts, we provide consistent, high-quality training across all sectors, providing learners with their own dedicated tutors and a supportive online community

 

Applicable

Our business-focused approach shapes learning around the role and responsibilities of the learner, providing new skills and expertise they can apply immediately in the workplace, helping your business realise ROI and mobilise new expertise quickly

 

*The Open University Business Barometer 2020