Digital learning in a post Covid-19 economy

An evidence review

This report presents the findings from an evidence review that the Institute of Employment Studies was commissioned to carry out by the CIPD on digital and online learning within adult vocational education and in the workplace.

The CIPD defines ‘digital learning’ to be ‘learning that’s facilitated, enabled or mediated using electronic technology for the explicit purpose of training, learning or development’.

The immediate context has been the COVID-19 pandemic. This has prompted a rapid acceleration in the already-occurring shift to digital and online learning.

The aims of the review are to:

• Examine how the potential of digital learning can be further harnessed to support reskilling in the post-COVID-19 economy.
• Highlight approaches that are linked to improved provision, uptake and the enhanced effectiveness of digital learning.
• Highlight barriers to digital learning and how these have been overcome.
• Capture learning on the success factors underpinning digital learning effectiveness.

The methodology for the review involved desk-based research, which included: accessing literature from various relevant academic platforms; reviewing the ‘grey’ management and practitioner literature; and seeking out individual organisational examples to illustrate practice. The CIPD also hosted a roundtable in September 2020, from which considerable insights to inform government policy recommendations were drawn.