"We've seen the the pool of adult learners seeking help from Wyzant's community of experts multiply in recent years, and these findings help explain why. Today more than ever, employees require regular training to grow in their current fields -  and in some cases - to remain employed at all," explains Drew Geant, Wyzant CEO and co-founder.  "They need access to education and job training that is both cost effective and flexible, which is why we've invested so much in developing an online tool that makes it easy for adults to continue their education and move forward in their careers."

"What I take from our study is the need to never be complacent," said Miles Jennings, CEO of Recruiter.com. "No matter your type of career or stage of life, it's never too late to make your next move. It's easy to be upset by a perceived lack of stability in our careers due to constant changes in technology or the economy. But the lesson we all must all learn is to embrace change and continually push forward without regrets. We must expect the future to change even more rapidly than now, and to succeed we must do everything we can to continue to improve our skills and ourselves. It is good to see that most people recognize this need and are willing and able to do what it takes to succeed."

Survey highlights include:

Education and Job Advancement in Today's Workforce: The Landscape

• To-date, 71 percent of working people have had to undergo training to keep or move forward in a position. Of those people:
  • 79 percent of men vs 59 percent of  women
  • Nearly a third (32 percent) were aged 18-34
• Another 73 percent of working people will need to seek additional certifications, skills' training or degrees to advance their careers at some point in the future
• 70 percent hope to advance in their career at some point
• However, 48 percent have not been able to progress in their career due to a lack of skills training or certifications. Of these people:
  • 58 percent were male and  42 percent were female
  • 60 percent were aged 18-34, 46 percent are aged 35-54 and 12 percent are 55+

Top five reasons working people today would seek additional job training or certifications to move their career forward

1. For the money: 53 percent say to make more money
2. For themselves: 40 percent are eager to learn or are a seeking self satisfaction
3. For family: 38 percent say to create a better life for my family
4. Resume revival: 35 percent say to improve my resume
5. Better benefits: 32 percent say to get better work benefits

Top five reasons working people are deterred from seeking additional job training or certifications to move their career forward

1. The cost: 45 percent
2. Family obligations take priority: 39 percent
3. The time required to study and complete the training/certification: 38 percent
4. They are nervous about going back to school: 22 percent
5. They have tried, but are really struggling with the subject matter: 18 percent

The Bottom Line

How much of an income increase could you expect if you were to pursue additional degrees, certifications or skills training?

• 25 percent say up to $5,000 per year
• 29 percent say up to $10,000 per year
• 21 percent say up to $15,000 per year
• 26 percent say more than $15,000 per year