Exclusive: Managers embrace e-learning

According to the survey of more than 1,000 managers, 51% now say they use online videos to develop new skills, up from 21% 12 months ago.

A third (34%) said they use social networking sites to boost knowledge, compared to just 12% last year.

The survey also found 24% of managers use e-books and 27% seek learning advice through online discussion forums.

Professor William Scott-Jackson, report author from the Centre for Applied Human Resources Research, said: "Senior executives actually share many of the traits of generation Y. They have short attention spans and want more smaller or bite sized learning. In this sense baby-boomers are catching onto what the ‘Nintendo generation' already know."

The report also found that blended learning - the use of more than one type of training to attain a learning goal - is managers' preferred training methodology.

Scott-Jackson said: Rather than learners needing to cram their heads full of information, learning should be more about knowing where to access it."

He added: "This will prove to be a major challenge that trainers need to adapt to. The days of just presenting to a classroom of people are over."