Learning at Work Week takes to the air for 2020

The hugely popular annual event coordinated by education and skills charity, Campaign for Learning (CfL), aims to put a spotlight on the importance and benefits of continuous learning and development.

While activities, seminars and workshops are usually hosted by employers at their workplaces around the country, in light of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Learning at Work Week 2020 will be celebrated ‘on air, online’ between 18-24 May, with the usual work-based week postponed until October.

Designed to promote a culture of learning at work, the event brings over 3,500 learning and development practitioners together from employers across the UK to facilitate a wide variety of learning opportunities for their workforce.

This year, with skills development in the labour market being held up as crucial to the successful rebuilding of the UK’s economy post-COVID-19, the Learning at Work Week theme, ‘learning journeys’, will promote activities that drive lifelong learning, collaborative learning and dealing positively with challenges through learning and innovation.

“We’re really pleased that we can run Learning at Work Week On Air, Online” said Julia Wright, Joint National Director at Campaign for Learning.

“The Coronavirus outbreak has created some challenges in the Week’s organisation, which is why we decided to postpone the main event in its normal format until later in the year. Taking Learning at Work Week On Air, Online means that until a time comes where we can safely come together to get people enthused about learning at work, we can carry on working with employers and partners to spread the message about lifelong learning and development far and wide.

“The need for people to upskill and reskill is being felt ever more acutely in the current climate, with so many people concerned for the future stability of their jobs in the aftermath of the pandemic. By shining a light on the range of learning opportunities and the support available to learners of all ages, we hope that Learning at Work Week On Air, Online will encourage and help people to access the qualifications, training and development they need going forward.”

The Campaign for Learning and partners including getAbstract, the Open University Business School, Emerald Works and the Charity Learning Consortium are providing free activities for the week.

For the first time ever, Learning at Work Week On Air, Online will include dedicated webinars for parents, which will support them as they try to both entertain and educate their children whilst schools remain closed.

CfL’s resident family learning expert, Juliette Collier, will be running live webinars on practical ways to teach children about money and strategies to help them develop positive money habits, as well as a workshop to help parents create brilliant home learning experiences to energise everyone and inspire a lifelong love of learning.

As part of Learning at Work Week On Air, Online celebrations, learners of all ages are also invited to sharpen their pencils and flex their felt tips to take part in the Daily Doodle Challenge.

Doodling can unleash creativity, help us be productive and be used as a visual aid to help us learn and understand. With daily themes including things like doodling a machine that would transform your life, or doodle your online self-portrait, budding artists can share their creations on Twitter tagging @lawweekwire and using the hashtag #lawwdailydoodle to be in with a chance to win some creative prizes.

Established in 1997, Campaign for Learning recently joined the NCFE family to help widen its reach within the FE sector.