Over three quarters of UK employees would go back to university if given the chance, either to help them achieve their career goals or to take on a new learning challenge.

This is the conclusion of a new survey by Monster, which found that 40 per cent of workers would embark on a university degree to progress in their chosen career.

A further 45 per cent said they would go back to higher education because they feel they are not learning anything new in their current job.

Commenting on the findings, Julian Acquari, managing director of Monster UK and Ireland, said employers must challenge their workers if they want to retain talented staff.

"Often if an employee doesn’t feel challenged it can cause demotivation and reduced productivity, as well as their potential departure," he explained.

Martyn Sloman, learning and development advisor at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development said recently that learning at work, as opposed to training, should be encouraged by employers.