How to transition from knowledge acquisition to lifelong learning
Research indicates that by 2025, over half of today's skills and competences will be obsolete due to technological innovations[1]. Digitalisation and automation continue to drive changes in how work is performed. Surviving this constantly evolving workplace demands lifelong learning.
Workers born as from the ’80 stay on average 3.6 years shorter in a job than their parents[2], increasing the need to adopt new skills and competences to stay relevant in the workforce.
But how can professionals not only acquire knowledge throughout their career, but consciously steer their own lifelong learning when they change jobs, industries, or sectors? And how can Learning & Development professionals support their learners in this journey?
Our LAUREA team has five key recommendations for you:
1. Set clear goals and objectives
Decide which specific skills you would like to develop and set clear objectives from the beginning. Even if this refers to your personal learning journey or your clients and learners: design the learning journey by having the end goals in mind.
2. Broaden the learning sources
Learning can happen through a variety of sources: webinars, workshops, simple videos, podcasts, books, e-learning and MOOCs, blogs…and even discussions with colleagues and friends. Don’t limit yourself just to one source. Plan your time and interactions effectively. Design by having the combination of different sources in mind for a continuous learning process.
3. Use personalised learning paths
Each one of us learns in a different way; some people prefer to read, some combine multimedia and texts, and others actively participate in events. By focusing on your or your learners’ needs, experiences, and preferred way of learning, your intrinsic motivation increases and it will not take long for this process to bear fruit.
4. Learn with and from others
Collaboration is the key – find people that share the same interests as you, or individuals that have expertise on what you would like to learn and engage in thematical discussions or get involved in specific projects.
The same applies if you design learning experiences; have your learners work together, allow them to exchange ideas and experiences by also supporting their active participation. A good tool for this is the establishment of communities of practice.
5. Reflect
Reflect, reflect, reflect! Stop for a second and think about what have you learned so far and what you have applied to your work or daily life? How would you like to learn?
Allow your learners to do the same. This can happen through feedback surveys or, ‘reflections’, concerning their own experiences with the content of the learning process.