Learning skills that are not necessarily vital for work may actually be a benefit to the job. A survey of more than a thousand adults, conducted by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), found that the UK is a nation of prospective learners. 50 per cent of the survey respondents said they would be prepared to take up a course to improve their skills in areas of interest to them, with 60 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds expressing the desire to learn new skills.