With the pandemic further widening the gap between education and work, global learning leader Development Beyond Learning  (DBL) and Forage, the top provider of virtual job simulations, partnered up to launch a temporary solution in 2020 and the virtual Work Ready Skills Programme was born.

Fast forward to 2024 and a thank-you message from a student – who credited the programme as a

‘game-changer’ for their career development, confidence, and skills—revealed that the free programme continues to gain in popularity.
Students continue to actively enrol and complete the programme with an impressive average rating of 4.5 out of 5 which is high by self-enrolled digital learning standards.
Gen Z is a generation that thrives on adaptability, digital fluency, and social awareness. However, one of the biggest gaps businesses face is in developing the expected essential soft skills that no AI can replace.
This ongoing success story proves that the early talent needs support in order to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. As we adapt to a hybrid working world shaped by Covid-19, fostering resilience.

Pete Humphreys, CEO of DBL said: “The fact that the programme still serves the global student community shows just how relevant its content is today and unearths a significant gap that requires to be filled, in human skills development. The success of the programme, which is beyond our expectations, underpins our drive to relaunch Work Ready Skills Programme on a broader scale. We’d like to collaborate with governmental bodies and educational institutions so that even more students can benefit from these vital skills.”