Programs doing community classes for the public most want to grow their older audiences in the coming year.
People in their 40s and 50s were rated the most wanted growth area by 33% of practitioners, followed by people over aga 60, which came in at 30% of programs.
The 40s and 50s age range is for professional development and business classes for the community. The people over 60 is clearly for personal development, fitness, health and other non-work related topics.
Children and youth, an audience that brings in a lot of money and is growing the most by 19% of programs, apparently is not being targeted for further growth as much. It came in as the most wanted growth area by only 12% of programs.
The hardest to reach demographics came in last. Only 15% of programs want to grow the young singles under age 40 audience the most; and just 9% of programs want to grow the young marrieds under age 40 the most.
Audiences Growing the Most
Programs doing community classes reported the following top 3 audiences that grew the most for them this past year. They are:
1.People in their 40s and 50s; 42% of programs.
Practitioners reported business-like topics, especially or maybe even only, AI, accounted for this big increase.
2.People over 60; 29% of programs.
This audience is a mix of retired people and working people. But they all want leisure and personal development classes. LERN recommends every lifelong learning provider have a program for people over 60.
3.Children and youth, 19% of programs.
This is excluding summer camps and kids colleges, so there’s a big market for year-round classes for children and youth. LERN also recommends every lifelong learning provider have a program for children and youth.
