DIGITAL INFORMAL LEARNING AND THE FUTURE WORKFORCE: CROSS-REGIONAL EVIDENCE
Abstract: In today’s dynamic economic environment, the competitiveness of firms and economies depends on the continuous development of their workforce. Informal learning represents a vital yet often underestimated element of this process, shaping graduate lifelong learning, reskilling, and upskilling. This paper examines the informal learning sources of university business students in Europe, focusing on the Czech Republic (Czechia) as a representative of Central Europe, and complements the analysis with evidence from the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a comparative case from Asia. The aim is to identify which informal learning sources are most frequently used by business students and how these preferences compare with the European Union average, as reported by the Adult Education Survey (AES), to assess their implications for lifelong learning, reskilling, and upskilling. The study applies a mixed-methods approach, combining the most recent AES data with primary evidence from a pilot survey conducted in 2025 among 214 undergraduate business students in Czechia and Taiwan. The survey followed the European Commission’s classification of informal learning activities and examined five categories: family, friends, and colleagues; electronic devices; printed materials; visiting educational places; and educational centres. The results indicate that Czech students rely primarily on electronic devices (91.2%) and peer networks (76.0%), while Taiwanese students combine digital resources (84.3%) and family, friends, and colleagues (84.3%) with stronger use of educational centres (49.4%) and guided tours (43.8%). In contrast, EU data highlight the continued importance of printed materials (54.6%). The study concludes that informal learning is not merely a supplement to formal training but an important foundation for building adaptable workforces. By linking European-level statistics with survey-based evidence, it contributes to understanding how universities and policymakers can design strategies that strengthen digital learning and AI-supported tools to prepare students for rapidly changing, technology-driven economies and sustainable growth in the future.
Keywords: business students, European Union, Taiwan, Czechia, learning source