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What Is Lifelong Learning? (And How to Do it Yourself)

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What Is Lifelong Learning? (And How to Do it Yourself) was originally published on Forage .

We often equate school with learning — so once we’ve graduated, we’re done, right? While we may not return to lectures and discussion groups, learning is far from over the second we leave high school or college. Embracing lifelong learning, or the concept of ongoing learning, can help you grab the attention of employers, get hired, and succeed in your entire career.

So, what exactly is lifelong learning, and why do employers care so much about it? Here’s what you need to know, how to get started, and how to show it off in an application.

Lifelong Learning Definition

Lifelong learning is the constant, ongoing pursuit of knowledge. This practice “ensures that individuals continually enhance their skills and knowledge, regardless of occupation, age, or educational level, enabling them to stay ahead of the game,” says Emily Maguire, managing director and career consultant at Reflections Career Coaching.

Typically, lifelong learning is self-motivated, meaning the desire to learn comes from a desire for personal and professional growth.

Professional Skills Development

Develop critical professional skills like project planning, setting goals, and relationship management in a real-world work environment.

Avg. Time: 3-4 hours

Skills you’ll build: Time management, scheduling, explaining analysis, presentations

Lifelong Learning Examples

So, what does lifelong learning look like? While you can take courses or pursue formalized education as part of lifelong learning, this kind of learning doesn’t have a specific structure. Examples of lifelong learning include:

• Taking online courses
• Learning a new language
• Joining a book club
• Listening to podcasts
• Watching TED Talks or educational YouTube videos
• Attending a workshop or seminar
• Earning a professional certification
• Completing a coding bootcamp
• Learning a musical instrument
• Taking an art or cooking class
• Doing a DIY home improvement project
• Picking up a new hobby, like knitting or photography
• Conducting independent research
• Trying a new fitness class or physical activity

Lifelong learning doesn’t always have to be an intense academic research project or something applicable to the professional skills you want to develop. The main point of lifelong learning is that you’re building a new skill or knowledge even if that doesn’t obviously translate to your dream job — flexing that learning muscle is a valuable skill you can transfer to any career path.

Why Do Employers Care About Lifelong Learning?

Employers care about lifelong learning because they seek employees who are willing to upskill, adapt, and navigate change. 

It Shows the Ability to Upskill

“Doors will open for you if you keep a learner’s mindset as you leave school and are constantly willing to get out of your comfort zone,” says Arissan Nicole, career and resume coach and workplace expert. “Employers want people that are open and committed to growth. Innovation and creativity take trying new things, taking risks, and being open to failing. Those committed to lifelong learning know that failing is a step in the learning process and have the resilience to keep moving forward. Employers want people who are unwilling to give up and motivated to do whatever it takes to solve a problem or find a solution.”

As an early career professional, lifelong learning is essential because you don’t have many job skills yet — you’ll learn them on the job! Employers know and expect this, so they’re primarily looking to hire entry-level candidates who’ve shown they’re committed to learning new skills quickly. 

“From our recruitment data, most fresh employees have a greater success rate when they stress on lifelong learning in their CVs and interviews,” says Philip McParlane, founder of 4dayweek.io, the world’s largest four day workweek recruitment platform. “This is because lifelong learners embody a growth mindset that proves instrumental in navigating the swift transformations within industries. Companies recognize this quality as a strategic asset, understanding that employees committed to continuous learning contribute to innovation and demonstrate resilience in the face of change.”

Helps Employees Adapt to a Changing Work Landscape

Lifelong learning is also vital to employers throughout your career as the working world changes. For example, an employer might expect you to use a new technology or software to do your job. Or, there may be a shift in your organization’s structure, and your boss may expect you to take on different projects or leadership responsibilities. Employees who can embrace change by learning new skills are highly valuable to employers. 

“Regardless of one’s chosen profession, the inclination and ability to learn and adapt are central to success on the job, any job,” says Bill Catlette, partner at Contented Cow, a leadership development company. “There are very few roles in the modern workspace where the knowledge required to excel is static.”

How to Practice Lifelong Learning

If lifelong learning is the key to getting hired and success at work, how can you start?

Take a Forage Job Simulation

Forage job simulations are free, self-paced programs that show you what it’s like to work in a specific role at a top employer. In these simulations, you’ll build real-world work skills by replicating tasks that someone on a team at the company would actually do — whether that’s coding a new feature for an app, planning a marketing campaign , or writing a hypothetical email to a client explaining legal considerations in their current case. 

Once you complete a Forage job simulation, you’ll get a certificate you can put on your LinkedIn profile and examples of how to share what skills you learned on your resume and in an interview. Employers are also more likely to hire students who’ve completed Forage job simulations — a sign of lifelong learning! 

Unsure where to get started? Take our quiz to find the best job simulation for you . 

Pursue Independent Projects

Pursuing a project on a topic you’re interested in can show employers that you’re self-motivated and willing to learn. There are tons of options depending on your career interest:

• An aspiring writer working on articles and publishing them on a personal blog
• An aspiring software engineer contributing to an open-source project
• An aspiring data analyst analyzing a public dataset 
• An aspiring UX designer redesigning the experience of a famous brand’s website 
• An aspiring social media manager developing a strategy for a personal brand or business’s social media

Digital Design & UX

Conduct user research and create wireframes for an app for the electric industry. 

Avg. Time: 5-6 hours

Skills you’ll build: Mobile design, app design, persona creation, UX, UI

Work With Others

While lifelong learning often comes from personal motivation, collaborating with others can help you build soft skills and help keep you disciplined. 

For example, you could join a book club with fellow aspiring marketing professionals and all read books about marketing strategy. Or, if you’re an aspiring web developer, you and some friends could decide to participate in a daily coding challenge. Finding people who also want to learn can help inspire you and even help you discover new ways to achieve your goals.

Set SMART Goals

Figuring out when and how to fit lifelong learning into your life can be complicated and overwhelming, especially when first trying to enter the workforce! Setting SMART goals can help you break down the process into smaller, achievable, and actionable steps.

SMART goals are:

• Specific: What exactly do you want to learn?
• Measurable: How are you measuring success? What defines a “finished” result?
• Actionable: When do you have time to accomplish this? What extra resources do you need?
• Relevant: How will this help you in your prospective career?
• Time-bound: What is your deadline?

How to Show Lifelong Learning in a Job Application

You’re doing the work of developing your knowledge and skills — now, how do you show employers that?

List It On Your Resume

It’s almost as simple as it sounds: put your lifelong learning activities on your resume ! 

“You can list relevant courses you have taken, certifications you have earned, workshops and trainings you may have attended, and more,” says Mary Krull, SHRM-SCP, PRC, and lead talent attraction partner at Southern New Hampshire University. “The key here will be ensuring that what you list is relevant to the role. No need to list everything you have done — keep it relevant!”

Resume Masterclass

Build a resume hiring managers look for from start to finish.

Skills you’ll build: Professional summary, illustrating your impact in teams, showcasing outcomes of your contributions

“Get strategic about relevant coursework in your education section,” says Tramelle D. Jones, strategic success and workplace wellness coach with TDJ Consulting. “For example, when applying to a position that lists tasks where you’ll utilize data analytics , list classes such as ‘Advanced Data Analytics Techniques.’ Remember to include any cross-disciplinary coursework and offer an explanation that solidifies the connection. For example, ‘Innovations in Sustainable Business Practice’ – Discussed how data analytics can be applied to consumer behavior to understand preferences.”

You can also list any trainings, workshops, certifications, or conferences in a dedicated “professional development” or “education and certification” section. 

Create an Online Portfolio

If you’ve worked on independent projects, compiling your work into an online portfolio is a great way to tangibly show your skills to hiring managers . Projects make the skills and experience you articulate in your resume, cover letter, and interview visible. Online portfolios don’t need to be extravagant; a free, simple website that shows your projects is all you need.

Share Specific Examples

When preparing your application, whether writing a cover letter or practicing common job interview questions and answers , have a few lifelong learning examples you’re comfortable elaborating on. The key is to ensure they’re relevant to the role you’re applying for and demonstrate your willingness and ability to learn.

“In your cover letter, you can bring up your commitment to continuous learning and how it ties to the specific qualifications for the job,” Krull says. “Explain how your commitment to professional development will benefit the organization and align with its values. If they invite you to interview for a role, you may have an opportunity to discuss your professional development experience. Have a couple of learning experiences in mind that had a positive impact on your development. As long as those examples help you answer an interview question, this can be a great way to weave in your experience as a lifelong learner.”

Unspoken Interview Fundamentals

Learn how to develop your professional story and practice sharing it in an interview context. 

Avg. Time: 2-3 hours

Skills you’ll build: Verbal communication, video interviewing, identifying strengths

Don’t be afraid to get specific, either. Naming particular processes, tools, and technologies you used to learn something new can help illustrate your lifelong learning to the hiring manager.

Lifelong Learning: The Bottom Line

Practicing lifelong learning is about continuously gaining new skills and knowledge. While this is often a personal journey, it can help you get hired and succeed throughout your career.

To start the lifelong learning process, try independent learning, working with others, and setting SMART goals to get the job done. Once you’ve gained new skills, call them out on your resume, cover letter, and in interviews.

“In a nutshell, the educational paradigm is transitioning towards a lifelong journey,” McParlane says. “Employers grasp the value of hiring individuals who perceive learning as an ongoing, dynamic process. As a prospective employee, your ability to articulate not just what you’ve learned, but how that knowledge contributes to adaptability and problem-solving , becomes a pivotal differentiator in a fiercely competitive job market.”

Start your lifelong learning journey with a free Forage job simulation . 

Image credit: Canva

The post What Is Lifelong Learning? (And How to Do it Yourself) appeared first on Forage .

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1 Lifelong Learning: Introduction

Manuel London, College of Business, State University of New York at Stony Brook

• Published: 21 November 2012
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This chapter examines the scope of the field of lifelong learning, covering definitions, environmental pressures, principal theories of development and learning, and environmental resources and structures that support lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is a dynamic process that varies depending on individual skills and motivation for self-regulated, generative learning and on life events that impose challenges that sometimes demand incremental/adaptive change and other times require frame-breaking change and transformational learning. The chapter previews the major sections of this handbook, which cover theoretical perspectives, research on learning throughout life, methods to promote learning, goals for learning (i.e., what is learned), the importance of cultural and international perspectives, and emerging issues and learning challenges.

Learning is all about change, and change drives learning. The two are inevitable and go hand in glove. Change imposes gaps between what is and what is going to be, or between what was and what is now. Change creates opportunities and imposes demands. In the workforce and other areas of life, change raises questions about readiness to take advantage of opportunities or to face demands for different ways of behaving and interacting and more demanding goals to achieve. Learning can bring about change by creating new capabilities and opening the door to new and unexpected opportunities. As such, learning is risky. It upsets the status quo, raising ambiguities and uncertainties. It also has the potential to empower a person to influence the future, providing choices that would not be available otherwise.

Throughout life, changes occur that are large and small. Small changes provoke incremental changes in behavior. They force us to adapt. Indeed, we learn to adapt to these small changes almost unconsciously. We develop routines that work and apply them as coping mechanisms for managing change. Usually, behaviors that work in one setting apply equally well in another setting or a different situation, perhaps with minor adaptations. However, when we are thrust into totally new situations—transitions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable, we learn new behaviors and skills that lead to transformational changes. If we fail to learn and fail to make the transformational change, we are likely to be mired in the past, perhaps stuck alone on a plateau while others move away and ahead of us, or worse yet, we face loss and a life of self-doubt or unhappiness.

Change and learning occur throughout our lives. They occur in work and career. Indeed, we spend our early lives in educational settings that give us life skills, but ultimately prepare us for a career. The question is whether we also learn how to learn so that we are prepared to face change, and create positive change for ourselves and others. Adaptive learners are prepared to make incremental changes. Generative learners are ready for transformational change. They seek new ideas and skills, experiment with new behaviors, and set challenging goals for themselves that bring them to new ideal states. Transformative learners have the skills to confront and create frame-breaking change. For them, change is the process of recognizing gaps, setting goals, establishing a learning plan, and maintaining motivation for carrying out the plan to achieve the goals.

This handbook is about lifelong learning. It clarifies the context and need for learning and sets an agenda for theory, research, and practice to promote successful learning and change throughout life. It examines the press for change and the concomitant need for learning at all career and life stages, through minor shifts and major transitions. It considers the extant research on learning and paves the way for exciting research that is needed to understand and promote learning to face the complexities, stresses, opportunities, and challenges of life. It examines methods to encourage and facilitate productive learning (learning that leads to goal accomplishment and meets life’s demands). It considers technological and cultural issues that shape learning in our fast-paced world. It recognizes generational differences and the value that people from different generations can contribute to each other. It also focuses our attention on emerging issues that direct future research and practice.

Lifelong or continuous learning is often viewed as the domain of adult or continuing education. This field examines how adults learn, usually within work contexts. The field encompasses continuing education and professional development programs offered by universities and corporate training centers. Today, such education is influenced by new technologies for instructional design and delivering educational programs. This handbook takes an expansive view of lifelong learning drawing from a host of fields, including psychology, sociology, gerontology, and biology. It looks at learning in young and old, in work and in life beyond the job, in Western and Eastern cultures across the globe. It offers understanding and direction to shape thinking about aging, personal growth, overcoming barriers, and innovation.

Transitions are a time for change. A key question is whether people are ready to change and learn. Opportunities for change may go unrecognized because people are stuck in their routines (Hertzog et al., 2008 ). People who are used to adapting will rely on transactions that worked in the past making incremental adjustments if necessary. People who seek new knowledge, like to try new things, and are sensitive to demands and challenges in their environment have learned how to be generative. Some have had the opportunity to be transformative in bringing about frame-breaking change.

Defining Lifelong Learning

Consider ways that lifelong learning has been conceptualized. A simple definition of lifelong learning is that it is “development after formal education: the continuing development of knowledge and skills that people experience after formal education and throughout their lives” (Encarta, 2008 ). Lifelong learning builds on prior learning as it expands knowledge and skills in depth and breadth (London, in press). Learning is “the way in which individuals or groups acquire, interpret, reorganize, change or assimilate a related cluster of information, skills, and feelings. It is also primary to the way in which people construct meaning in their personal and shared organizational lives” (Marsick, 1987 , p. 4, as quoted in Matthews, 1999 , p. 19).

The basic premise of lifelong learning is that it is not feasible to equip learners at school, college, or university with all the knowledge and skills they need to prosper throughout their lifetimes. Therefore, people will need continually to enhance their knowledge and skills, in order to address immediate problems and to participate in a process of continuous vocational and professional development. The new educational imperative is to empower people to manage their own learning in a variety of contexts throughout their lifetimes (Sharples, 2000 , p. 178; see also Bentley, 1998 ).

A traditional definition of lifelong learning is “all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective” (European Commission [EC], 2001, p. 9). Jarvis ( 2006 , p. 134) offered a more detailed definition: “The combination of processes throughout a life time whereby the whole person—body (genetic, physical and biological) and mind (knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and senses)—experiences social situations, the perceived content of which is then transformed cognitively, emotively or practically (or through any combination) and integrated into the individual person’s biography resulting in a continually changing (or more experienced) person.”

London and Smither ( 1999a ) conceptualized career-related continuous learning as a pattern of formal and informal activities that people sustain over time for the benefit of their career development. Claxton ( 2000 ), examining the challenge of lifelong learning, focuses on resilience, resourcefulness, and reflectiveness and the learner’s toolkit of learning strategies including immersion in experiences. Candy ( 1991 ) examined the concept of self-direction for lifelong learning, exploring four principle domains of self-direction: personal autonomy, willingness and ability to manage one’s overall learning endeavors, independent pursuit of learning without formal institutional support or affiliation, and learner-control of instruction. Ways of increasing learners’ self-directedness is a challenge for adult educators.

Edwards ( 1997 ) examined different notions of a learning society and the changes in adult education theory and practice that will be required to create a learning society. He addressed issues of government policy pertaining to knowledge development, economic growth, technology, and learning. The focus should be less on ways of providing adult education in a formal sense and more on understanding outputs, that is, learning and learners’ capabilities. As such, adult education should support access and participation, open and distance learning, and assessment and accreditation of outcomes in an increasing number of learning settings.

Field ( 2006 ) considered lifelong learning as a new educational order. Noting that governments are actively encouraging citizens to learn and to apply their learning across their lifespan, he explored policy measures that governments are taking to encourage adult participation in learning across the life span to achieve a viable learning society.

Creating Learning Environments

Sternberg ( 1997 ) argued that society needs a broad understanding of intelligence as “the mental abilities necessary for adaptation to, as well as shaping and selection of, any environmental context” (p. 1036). Students perform better when they learn in a way that lets them capitalize on their strengths and compensate for and remediate their weaknesses. As such, instruction and assessment should be diverse to allow for learner-guided methods for encoding and applying subject matter.

Tannenbaum ( 1998 ) described how salient aspects of an organization’s work environment can influence whether continuous learning will occur. He surveyed over 500 people in seven organizations. The results showed that every organization has a unique learning profile and relies on different sources of learning to develop individual competencies.

Zairi and Whymark ( 2000 ) showed how the transfer of learning can become embedded in an organization. They described the case of Xerox’s and Nationwide Building Society’s continuous quality improvement training and processes, started in the 1970s, which became the basis for the company’s later culture of quality improvement through its business excellence certification process.

Other Handbooks of Lifelong Learning

Several handbooks of lifelong learning examine alternative views of lifelong learning. In the introduction to his handbook, Jarvis ( 2008 ) focused on the awareness of the gap between what we know and do not know as the stimulus for learning at any stage of life. In today’s complex world, the challenge of a learning gap is increasingly frequent, making lifelong learning a habit for many people. Learning becomes necessary to ensure employability and career progression (Jarvis, 2007 ). Employers recognize the need to provide learning opportunities to keep their employees, and their companies, competitive (Department for Education and Employment, 1998 ). From a societal perspective, nonindustrialized societies have more to learn, and learning is more nuanced and complex in industrialized societies (think knowledge workers; Jarvis, 2008 ). His handbook (Jarvis, 2008 ) focuses on the learner and the societal and international context. It examines where people learn, the modes of learning, social movements, and national policies that support lifelong learning.

The International Handbook of Lifelong Learning , edited by Aspin, Chapman, Hatton, and Sawano ( 2001 ), proposed policies and an agenda for schools in the 21st century, arising from the concept of the learning community and transformations of information technology, globalization, and the move toward a knowledge economy. “We are now living in a new age in which the demands are so complex, so multifarious and so rapidly changing that the only way in which we shall be able to survive them is by committing to a process of individual, communal, and global learning throughout the lifespan of all of us.”

Focusing on transformative learning, King’s ( 2009 ) Handbook of the Evolving Research of Transformative Learning Based on the Learning Activities Survey recognizes the multiple ways that people make meaning of their lives. “Transformational learning theory serves as a comprehensive way to understand the process whereby adult learners critically examine their beliefs, assumptions, and values in light of acquiring new knowledge and correspondingly shift their worldviews to incorporate new ideas, values and expectations” (King, 2002 , p. 286). Phases of transformative learning include experiencing disorientation (e.g., recognizing a learning gap), self-examination, critical assessment of assumptions, realizing that others have experienced similar processes, exploring options, forming an action plan, and reintegration (cf. Mezirow and Associates, 2000; Cranton, 1997 ).

Wang and King’s edited book ( 2007 ) focused on workplace competencies and instructional technology advances for vocational education to support workforce competitiveness. Longworth ( 2003 ) considered policy implications of lifelong learning.

Evers, Rush, and Berdrow ( 1998 ), addressing instructional development specialists, academic leaders, and faculty members in all types of postsecondary institutions, explained what skills and competencies students need to succeed in today’s workplace. They suggested how colleges and universities can strengthen the curriculum to cultivate those skills in their undergraduate students. The book is based on research that asked executives and university presidents to identify technical skills essential for workplace mastery. These skills include managing self, communicating, managing people and tasks, and mobilizing innovation and change.

Scope of the Field

In my chapter on lifelong learning for the Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (London, in press), I examined lifelong learning from the standpoint of organizational needs and expectations, the importance of learning and development for career growth, individual differences in propensity for continuous learning, and support and reinforcement for development. I pointed out that trends driving continuous learning include pressures to maintain competitiveness and readiness to meet future needs influenced by such factors as globalization, changing technology, emphasis on sustainability, and economic cycles. I noted that support for learning includes the corporate environment and culture, the emergence of learning organizations, empowerment for self-development, and formal and informal methods of development. I discussed technological advances in career development, such as online multisource feedback surveys, just-in-time coaching, and Web-based training.

Understanding lifelong learning requires analyzing the societal, cultural, and organizational trends that drive continuous learning opportunities and behavior. Continuous learning has become a core competence for employees at all career stages (Hall & Mirvis, 1995 ). “Lifelong learning is an essential challenge for inventing the future of our societies; it is a necessity rather than a possibility or a luxury to be considered” (Fischer, 2000 , p. 265). In particular, consider the implications of lifelong learning for the growing body of professionals who are “permalancers” (Kamenetz, 2007). These individuals freelance their work as opportunities are available. They need to be aware of developments in their field of experience and may even have to change career directions in order to remain employed as they move from one temporary position to another. For most everyone, and especially knowledge workers, the complexity of our knowledge society poses information overload, the advent of high-functioning systems, and a climate of rapid technological change that demands continuous learning (Fischer, 2000 ).

Livingstone’s ( 2000 ) study of informal learning in Canada examined self-reported learning activities from a 1998 telephone survey of a national sample of 1,562 Canadian adults. The study found that more than 95% of the respondents reported being involved in some form of explicit informal learning activities that they considered significant, spending approximately 15 hours per week on informal learning on average, compared to an average of 4 hours per week in organized education courses. The most commonly cited areas of informal learning were computer skills for employment, communications skills through community volunteer activities, home renovations and cooking skills, and general interest learning about health issues.

Theories of Learning and Education

In my summary article describing the field of lifelong learning (London, in press), I noted that theories of learning and development focus on the interaction among environmental conditions, individual differences, task demands, educational technology, and career opportunities across the life span. Scholars have developed models of lifelong learning. For instance, Kozlowski and Farr ( 1988 ) developed and tested an interactionist framework to predict employee participation in updating skills. They highlight that innovation, adaptation to innovative change, and effective performance require up-to-date technical skills and knowledge obtained through participation in professional activities, continuing education, and new work assignments. Moreover, individual characteristics (e.g., technical curiosity and interest, readiness to participate in professional and continuing education activities) and contextual features (e.g., support for continued training, work characteristics that allow autonomy, and on-the-job support for learning, including feedback, the need to work with others, having a range of job functions, encountering novel problems, and uncertainty of outcomes) jointly affect individuals’ perceptions of need to learn and eventual participation in learning. People differ in their motivation to learn and in their ability to be self-directed in identifying need for learning and to control their engagement in learning (Candy, 1991 ). People develop a learning orientation as a positive feeling about learning (cf. Maurer, 2002 ) and form mastery learning goals (Bandura, 1986 ; Dweck, 1986 ). A “reflective practice” of viewing experiences as opportunities for learning and reexamining assumptions, values, methods, policies, and practices supports continuous learning habits (Marsick & Watkins, 1992 ). People learn to value and seek feedback to help them improve their performance (London & Smither, 2002 )

Life Span Development

Lifelong learning is knowledge-intensive and fluid. The clear divide between education followed by work is not as clear as it once was (Fischer, 2000 ). As such, considerable theory and research has focused on life span development. Vygotsky ( 1978 ) called the difference between an individual’s current level of ability and accomplishment and the individual’s potential level the zone of proximal development . Learning stimulates awareness of potential and of the gap between current knowledge and skills and one’s potential level. This awareness stimulates more mature, internal development processes. People become aware that they need to learn and they also become more aware of how they learn. As this occurs, they are likely to try more complex ways of learning that require deeper thinking and learning. According to Kegan’s model of life span development (see, for instance, Kegan, 1982 , 1994 ; Kegan & Lahey, 2001 ), a person moves to increasingly complex “orders of mind,” deeper levels of self-understanding and awareness of how others see the world—qualitatively different levels of social construction:

Cognitive processes of a young child.

Older children, teens, and some adults whose feelings are inseparable from those of others.

(“Traditionalism”) Teens and many adults who distinguish between their own and others’ viewpoints but feel responsible for others’ feelings. As such, they are terrific team players. More than fifty percent of all adults do not proceed beyond this third stage.

(“Modernism”) People who have a sense of self that is separate from a connection to others. They are autonomous and self-driven, self-governing and principled, but they do not quite understand the limits of self-governing systems.

(“Postmodern”) People who come to recognize the limits of their own system of principles—a stage of cognitive development that happens before midlife, if it is reached at all.

Learning experiences must be structured to recognize how people interpret events and deal with challenges that require a higher level of cognitive and emotional functioning. Some are more able than others.

Other stage models focus on ages and related life and career transitions. Hall’s ( 1976 ) career growth curve distinguishes between (1) exploration and trial (between ages 15 and 30), (2) establishment and advancement (ages 30–45), and (3) (after age 45) continued growth, maintenance, or decline and disengagement. Levinson’s ( 1997 ) career growth curve distinguished between (1) preadulthood (birth to about age 22), the formative period of defining and developing relationships and gaining a sense of self; (2) early adulthood (ages 17–45), when the individual defines and develops relationships and gains a sense of independence, the biologically peak years that may include the emergence of satisfaction from career advancement, creativitiy, and achievement of major goals or may be marked by disappointment and stress with overwhelming financial obligations, marriage problems, and parenting troubles; and possible (3) midlife transition (ages 40–45), with a new sense of individuation and contentment; (4) middle adulthood (ages 40–65), with diminished biological capacity but potential for personally and socially satisfying life and mentoring others; and (5) late adult transition (60–65 and beyond) with the potential for continued generative and reflective development, but for many, a time of physical or mental decline.

Theories about how people learn distinguish between reflective/passive learners, who learn by watching and listening, and experiential/active learners, who learn by doing (Kolb, 1984 ; Boyatzis & Kolb, 1991 ; Mainemelis, Boyatzis, & Kolb, 2002 ). Experiential learning occurs as individuals engage in exercises and on-the-job experiences that are unexpected and pose challenges. Van Velsor and Guthrie ( 1998 ) distinguished between four learning tactics: thinking, taking action, asking others, and dealing with one’s feelings; they suggest most individuals prefer one learning style but may use several.

Sessa and London ( 2006 ; London & Sessa, 2006 ; 2007 ) distinguished between adaptive, generative, and transformative learning. Adaptive learning is reactive, changing in minor ways or not at all depending on pressures or opportunities in the environment. Generative learning is proactive. Generative learners challenge themselves to become experts, seeking and trying new behaviors, skills, and knowledge (Senge, 1990 ). They take the initiative instead of expecting to be told what they need to learn and when they need to learn it. Transformative learning is reconstructing meaning and changing modes of operating in fundamental and dramatic way. People are ready to learn generatively and transformatively when they are high in such characteristics as self-efficacy, internal locus of control, extraversion, mastery learning orientation, cognitive ability, conscientiousness, self-monitoring, feedback seeking, openness to new experiences, and public self-consciousness (London & Smither, 1999a ).

Resources for Learning

Learning is both an individual and organizational responsibility. People do the learning, and must be motivated and take action to learn. The organization needs to provide the resources to enable and reward learning. An environment that empowers people to learn provides individuals with nonthreatening performance feedback, ensures choices for learning, encourages feedback seeking, and rewards participation in learning activities (London & Smither, 1999b ). In such an environment, managers support and reward employees who “(1) anticipate learning requirements, by, for instance, identifying areas for future job requirements and implications for needed skill updates, (2) set development goals that reflect needed knowledge and skill structures, (3) participate in learning activities, (4) ask for feedback to test goal relevance, and (5) track progress” (London & Smither, 1999b , p. 11).

Support and resources for learning comes from employers, educational institutions, and readily available resources, such as the Internet. An organizational culture for learning encourages discussing performance requirements, assessing performance, and providing in-the-moment coaching and feedback about performance (DeNisi & Kluger, 2000 ; Hall, 2001 ). Learning organizations are environments that are ripe with continuous change and that support experimentation. Learning organizations support learning at three levels: “(1) individual, through continuous opportunities, inquiry, and dialog; (2) team, through action learning and collaboration; and (3) organization, through systems that capture learning, empower participants, and link to the environment” (Marsick & Watkins, 1996 , p. 18). Formal training options include classroom/in-person training and distance/e-learning, just-in-time on-the-job training, Web-based training delivery, methods that blend Web-based with in-person training and formal training. Informal training is learning from experiences and challenges (career transition points, such as job transfers, exposure to different cultures, and being responsible for visible and difficult job assignments).

Organizational systems that promote learning need to take into account individual, group, and organizational factors (Kozlowski, Chao, & Jensen, 2009 ). At the individual level, required task and teamwork knowledge, skills, and abilities must be aligned with opportunities for acquiring technical and process knowledge through informal means, such as implicit learning, socialization, and mentoring, and formal means, such as workshops, courses, and on-the-job training, to increase employees’ task-relevant knowledge. At the group level, unit technology and work-flow structures must be aligned with chances to share knowledge through team learning and development, producing team members’ shared mental models, memory of how transactions are conducted, and the production and distribution of knowledge. At the organizational level, the organization’s mission, strategies, technologies, and structure must be aligned with a climate for learning and leadership training.

Focus of This Volume

This introductory section sets the stage by reviewing the scope of the handbook, identifying basic concepts and defining them, and relating continuous learning to environmental conditions, in particular, technological, economic, and organizational changes and individual motivation for learning and development across the life span.

The second section covers developmental theories and research. Chapters examine models of lifelong learning, the neurobiological bases for learning across the life span, developing self-awareness, and the value of experiential learning. Theoretical applications are considered within stages of the life span, including college students’ learning outside the classroom and a paradigm for intergenerational learning.

The third section is an extensive review of learning programs, tools, and technologies with a focus on corporate programs and business education. Chapters examine employee training and development, leadership development, continuing education, professionals as lifelong learners, and ways to foster students’ engagement in learning. One chapter considers the value of learning humanities as a foundation for critical thinking. Other chapters in the section consider tools and technologies such as assessment center applications, 360-degree survey feedback and coaching processes, electronic learning, and emerging wireless applications for access to learning through virtual environments.

The fourth section considers international perspectives on lifelong learning. The chapters in this section consider the implications of national cultures, and include a comparison of Western and Asian perspectives, a discussion of cross-national policy differences in school-to-work transitions, a look at alternative models of career development in Scandinavian countries, and a discussion of the impact of change and economic transformation on lifelong learning in Russia.

The fifth section focuses on emerging issues and challenges. Chapters examine the role of continuous learning in corporate performance management programs, gender-role and career opportunities for women, social entrepreneurship as a learning process, and the learning challenges faced by immigrants. Developmental issues for adults with learning disabilities are also examined.

The final sections address the importance of assessing learning needs and outcomes in lifelong learning support systems, emerging conceptualizations of adult training and learning, and lessons for educating tomorrow’s leaders. I conclude with an overview of trends and directions for lifelong learning programs and research.

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Lifelong Learning: Researching a Contested Concept in the Twenty-First Century

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 07 October 2022
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Maren Elfert 5 &
• Kjell Rubenson 6  

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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This chapter critically reflects on research on lifelong learning in the twenty-first century in three sections. The first section provides a brief overview of the history of lifelong learning, from its emergence in the 1960s to the present day, which we have categorized into three generations. In the “first generation” of lifelong learning, situated in the 1960s and 1970s, the concept was rooted in a progressive policy agenda invoking a broader learning perspective, although much of the research focused on the formal educational system. In the 1980s, in what has been labelled “the second generation,” driven by a neoliberal political economy, the discourse shifted towards investment in human capital and employability. The period of the “third generation” balanced the humanistic and instrumental approaches of the two previous generations while still prioritizing the employability aspect. The second section reviews previous research on lifelong learning, focusing on research for lifelong learning policy and research of lifelong learning policy. The third section discusses contemporary trends in research on lifelong learning and uses the UN Sustainability agenda to outline a research program that will consider long-standing social and economic challenges, made even more acute in the Covid-19 world. Against the background of the insights gathered from 70 years of research on lifelong learning and the dramatic inequalities that challenge the future of our societies, there is a need to go beyond the current focus on measurable outcomes and the utilitarian skills agenda in favor of greater attention to the democratic, nonformal, and pedagogical dimensions of lifelong learning.

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Elfert, M., Rubenson, K. (2022). Lifelong Learning: Researching a Contested Concept in the Twenty-First Century. In: Evans, K., Lee, W.O., Markowitsch, J., Zukas, M. (eds) Third International Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67930-9_48-1

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Lifelong Learning Is Good for Your Health, Your Wallet, and Your Social Life

• John Coleman

So make time for it.

In 2015 Doreetha Daniels received her associate degree in social sciences from College of the Canyons, in Santa Clarita, California. But Daniels wasn’t a typical student: She was 99 years old . In the COC press release  about her graduation, Daniels indicated that she wanted to get her degree simply to better herself; her six years of school during that pursuit were a testament to her will, determination, and commitment to learning.

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• Lifelong Learning and Technology

A large majority of Americans seek extra knowledge for personal and work-related reasons. Digital technology plays a notable role in these knowledge pursuits, but place-based learning remains vital to many and differences in education and income are a hallmark of people’s learning activities

Table of contents.

• 1. The joy – and urgency – of learning
• 2. Three-quarters of adults have done a personal learning activity in the past year
• 3. Almost two-thirds of employed adults pursue job-related learning
• 4. Those on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder are less likely to take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities
• 5. The internet plays less of a role in lifelong learning for those with lower levels of education and income
• 6. Adults with tech-access tools are more likely to be lifelong learners and rely on the internet to pursue knowledge
• 7. People’s attitudes about learning, the classroom and personal growth shape adult learning activities
• 8. In addition to socio-economic class, there are differences in adult learning with respect to race and ethnicity
• Acknowledgments
• Methodology

Most Americans feel they are lifelong learners, whether that means gathering knowledge for “do it yourself” projects, reading up on a personal interest or improving their job skills. For the most part, these learning activities occur in traditional places – at home, work, conferences or community institutions such as government agencies or libraries. The internet is also an important tool for many adults in the process of lifelong learning.

A new Pew Research Center survey shows the extent to which America is a nation of ongoing learners:

• 73% of adults consider themselves lifelong learners.
• 74% of adults are what we call personal learners – that is, they have participated in at least one of a number of possible activities in the past 12 months to advance their knowledge about something that personally interests them. These activities include reading, taking courses or attending meetings or events tied to learning more about their personal interests.
• 63% of those who are working (or 36% of all adults) are what we call professional learners – that is, they have taken a course or gotten additional training in the past 12 months to improve their job skills or expertise connected to career advancement.

These learning activities take place in a variety of locations. The internet is often linked to a variety of learning pursuits. However, it is still the case that more learners pursue knowledge in physical settings than choose to seek it online.

• By an 81% to 52% margin, personal learners are more likely to cite a locale such as a high school, place of worship or library as the site at which personal learning takes place than they are to cite the internet.
• By a similar margin (75% to 55%), professional learners are more likely to say their professional training took place at a work-related venue than on the internet.

People cite several reasons for their interest in additional learning

Those who pursued learning for personal or professional reasons in the past 12 months say there are a number of reasons they took the plunge. Personal learners say they sought to strengthen their knowledge and skills for a mixture of individual and altruistic reasons:

• 80% of personal learners say they pursued knowledge in an area of personal interest because they wanted to learn something that would help them make their life more interesting and full.
• 64% say they wanted to learn something that would allow them to help others more effectively.
• 60% say they had some extra time on their hands to pursue their interests.
• 36% say they wanted to turn a hobby into something that generates income.
• 33% say they wanted to learn things that would help them keep up with the schoolwork of their children, grandchildren or other kids in their lives.

For workers who took a course or got extra training in the past 12 months, their reasons for wanting doing so ranged from career growth to job insecurity:

• 55% of full- or part-time workers say they participated in work or career learning to maintain or improve their job skills. That amounts to 87% of professional learners who cited this as the reason they wanted to improve their skills.
• 36% of all workers say they did such learning in order to get a license or certification they needed for their job. That comes out to 57% of professional learners who cited this reason.
• 24% of all workers say they wanted to upgrade their skills to help get a raise or promotion at work. That amounts to 39% of professional learners who cited this rationale.
• 13% of the full- and part-time workers say they were hoping to get a new job with a different employer. That amounts to 21% of professional learners who gave this reason.
• 7% of all workers say they were worried about possible downsizing where they currently work. That comes to 12% of professional learners who gave this reason.

People say they get a variety of benefits from personal and professional learning

Asked about the impact of these learning activities, many personal and professional learners cite a variety of benefits. For the 74% of the population who pursued personal learning in the past 12 months, the rewards often tie to psychological and social benefits:

• 87% of personal learners say their activities helped them feel more capable and well rounded.
• 69% say their learning opened up new perspectives about their lives.
• 64% say their learning helped them make new friends.
• 58% say it made them feel more connected to their local community.
• 43% say it prompted them to get more involved in volunteer opportunities.

When it comes to the 63% of workers who are professional learners:

• 65% say their learning in the past 12 months expanded their professional network.
• 47% say their extra training helped them advance within their current company.
• 29% say it enabled them to find a new job with their current employer or a new one.
• 27% say it helped them consider a different career path.

Those with more education and higher incomes are more likely to engage in lifelong learning

There are broad patterns associated with personal and professional learning related to socio-economic class, people’s access to technology, the kinds of jobs they have, their learning outlooks, and their racial and ethnic backgrounds. As a rule, those adults with more education, household incomes and internet-connecting technologies are more likely to be participants in today’s educational ecosystem and to use information technology to navigate the world.

These findings offer a cautionary note to digital technology enthusiasts who believe that the internet and other tools will automatically democratize education and access to knowledge. The survey clearly shows that information technology plays a role for many as they learn things that are personally or professionally helpful. Still, those who already have high levels of education and easy access to technology are the most likely to take advantage of the internet. For significant minorities of Americans with less education and lower incomes, the internet is more on the periphery of their learning activities. Fewer of the people in those groups are professional or personal learners, and fewer of them use the internet for these purposes. Overall, the internet does not seem to exert as strong a pull toward adult learning among those who are poorer or less educated as it does for those in other groups.

Educational levels: The survey reveals significant differences in the incidence of learning based on adults’ levels of education. For personal learning , 87% of those with college degrees or more (throughout this report adults with college degrees or more refers to anyone who has at least a bachelor’s degree) have done such an activity in the past year, compared with 60% for among those with high school degrees or less. For professional learning , about three quarters (72%) of employed adults with at least college degrees have engaged in some sort of job-related training in the past year, while half (49%) of employed adults with high school degrees or less have done this.

The same patterns hold true when looking at use of the internet for learning: Less than half (43%) of those who did not proceed past high school have used the internet for a personal learning activity vs. 58% among those with college degrees or more. Just 40% of employed adults in the high school group who pursue professional learning use the internet for these activities, compared with nearly two-thirds (64%) of those in the college group.

Household income levels: Americans who live in lower-income households are less likely to be personal or professional learners – and they are less likely to use the internet for personal learning. Some 83% of those living in households earning more than $75,000 are personal learners, compared with 65% of those living in households earning under $30,000. Similarly, 69% of workers living in households earning more than $75,000 are professional learners, compared with 49% of workers living in households earning under $30,000.

Additionally, 44% of those with household incomes under $30,000 have used the internet for personal learning in the past 12 months, compared with 60% for those in households with incomes above $75,000 annually. Similar patterns hold for professional learning. Among employed adults who are professional learners, 40% of those living in households with incomes under $30,000 per year use the internet for professional learning, while 65% of those in households above $75,000 do.

And relatively well-off workers are twice as likely as those with lower incomes to go to a conference or a convention for job training: 53% of workers with incomes above $75,000 per year report doing this, while 28% of workers with incomes below $30,000 annually say the same.

Technology assets: Among those with a smartphone and a home broadband connection (just over half the population), 82% have done some personal learning activity in the past year. For the remaining adults (those with just one of these connection devices or neither of them), 64% have done personal learning in the past year.

Technology assets are strongly tied to the likelihood that people engage in personal learning online. Those with multiple access options (that is, a smartphone and home broadband connection) are much more likely to use the internet for most or all of their personal learning – by a 37% to 21% margin – relative to people with one or no access options.

Personal outlook: People’s attitudes toward new information are also tied to the likelihood that people are personal. Those who see themselves as lifelong learners are more likely than others to be personal learners by a 77% to 40% margin. Additionally, those who say they are open to looking for new opportunities to grow are more likely than others to engage in personal learning activities by a 77% to 51% margin.

Race and ethnicity: African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to say they have pursued personal learning activities in the past year by margins that differ significantly from white adults. The differences for professional learning are less pronounced for African Americans, though still substantial for Hispanics. Some 79% of white adults are personal learners, compared with 64% of blacks and 60% of Hispanics. Additionally, 65% of white workers are professional learners, compared with 59% of black workers and 52% of Hispanic workers.

Type of job: Finally, the type of job a person has shapes the likelihood of having had professional training. For instance, four-fifths (83%) of those who work for the government have had some job training in the past year, while half (50%) who work for small businesses have had such training.

Some key new digital platforms and methods of learning are not widely known by the public

The educational ecosystem is expanding dramatically. Still, there is not widespread public awareness of some of the key resources that are becoming available. Noteworthy majorities of Americans say they are “not too” or “not at all” aware of these things:

• Distance learning – 61% of adults have little or no awareness of this concept.
• The Khan Academy , which provides video lessons for students on key concepts in things such as math, science, the humanities and languages – 79% of adults do not have much awareness of it
• Massive open online courses (MOOCs) that are now being offered by universities and companies – 80% of adults do not have much awareness of these.
• Digital badges that can certify if someone has mastered an idea or a skill – 83% of adults do not have much awareness of these.

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Seven essential elements of a lifelong-learning mind-set

Organizations around the world are experiencing rapid, sweeping changes in what they do, how they do it, and even why they do it. Increasing globalization and new technologies demand new modes of working and talent with new and diverse skills. To flourish in this environment, individuals must keep learning new skills. In fact, studies show that workers who maintain their ability to learn outpace other professionals. 1 Barbara Mistick and Karie Willyerd, Stretch: How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrow‘s Workplace, first edition, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2016. The people who will thrive in the 21st century will be those who embrace lifelong learning and continually increase their knowledge, skills, and competencies. 2 Hae-du Hwang and Daesung Seo, “Policy implication of lifelong learning program of EU for Korea,” Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012, Volume 46, pp. 4822–9, doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.342.

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Building a workforce of such lifelong learners is critical for organizations to respond to a changing business environment. To ensure they have the required skills and talent, companies must create a learning-for-all culture in which people are encouraged and inspired to continue learning new skills.

But the burden does not fall exclusively on businesses; it’s also up to the individual to seize the opportunity to get ahead. Seven distinctive practices can help employees become lifelong learners and remain relevant in today’s business environment (Exhibit 1).

1. Focus on growth

Learning starts and ends with the individual. But is there a limit to how much a person can learn? Is intelligence fixed at birth or can it be developed? In 2008, researchers asked the ten best chess players in the world—people who had spent 10,000 to 50,000 hours mastering the game—to take an IQ test. 3 Nicholas Mackintosh, IQ and Human Intelligence, first edition, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1998. They discovered that three out of ten had a below-average IQ. Since playing chess at the top level in the world is associated with extreme intelligence, they wondered how this result was possible.

Many studies have confirmed that it is not intelligence that creates expertise but effort and practice—that is, hard work. 4 Geoffrey Colvin, “What it takes to be great,” Fortune, October 19, 2006, fortune.com. The most successful people devote the most hours to deliberate practice, tackling tasks beyond their current level of competence and comfort, observing the results, and making adjustments. 5 Edward T. Cokely, K. Anders Ericsson, and Michael J. Prietula, “The making of an expert,” Harvard Business Review, July–August 2007, hbr.org. Such studies show that intelligence can be developed and that there are no limitations on what we can learn throughout our lives. Indeed, the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use, and learning prompts neurons in the brain to make new connections. 6 Jesper Mogensen, “Cognitive recovery and rehabilitation after brain injury: Mechanisms, challenges and support,” Brain Injury: Functional Aspects, Rehabilitation and Prevention, Copenhagen, Denmark: IntechOpen, March 2, 2012, pp. 121–50, doi.org/10.5772/28242.

Over the past 30 years, Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, has intensively studied learners. 7 Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, first edition, New York, NY: Random House, 2006. She has determined that people generally fall into one of two categories when it comes to how they view their ability to learn: a fixed mind-set or a growth mind-set. And she has concluded that mind-set has a significant impact on the effort put forward, perception of criticism, willingness to accept failure, and, ultimately, how much will be learned.

People with a fixed mind-set believe that their learning potential is predetermined by their genes, their socioeconomic background, or the opportunities available to them. They might have thoughts like, “I’m not good at public speaking, so I should avoid it.”

Those with a growth mind-set, however, believe that their true potential is unknown because it is impossible to foresee what might happen as a result of passion, effort, and practice. They appreciate challenges because they see them as opportunities for personal growth. Ultimately, they may achieve more of their potential than someone with a fixed mind-set.

Organizations can encourage employees to tackle new challenges and learn new skills by assigning them new and different tasks. But individuals need to believe that they have unlimited capacity to learn and grow. People can take the following actions to develop a growth mind-set 8 Jim Thompson, Mindset: Powerful Insights from Carol Dweck, Stanford University Athletic Department, Positive Coaching Alliance, 2010, positivecoach.org. :

• Determine if you have a fixed mind-set and, if you do, establish why.
• Recognize that you have a choice in how you approach and interpret new tasks, ideas, or situations.
• Learn to hear and observe the fixed mind-set voice without judgment while continuing to embrace challenges.
• Refocus with a growth mind-set.

2. Become a serial master

Traditionally, workers developed deep expertise in one discipline early in their career and supplemented this knowledge over the years with on-the-job development of integrative competencies. This kind of knowledge can be represented by a T-shape or profile  (Exhibit 2).

Longevity has made this approach obsolete. Since 1840, life expectancy has increased three months for every year, meaning that people are staying, and will continue to stay, in the workforce longer. 9 Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, first edition, London, UK: Bloomsbury, 2016. Because of this trend, they need depth in different areas of expertise, supplemented with targeted on-the-job development, to stay relevant. Today, knowledge should resemble an M-shape or profile (Exhibit 3).

Imagine someone has her master’s degree in journalism and begins her career working at a publication. During her 30s, she finds herself specializing in financial journalism, so she decides to pursue a master’s degree in business economics. As she proceeds into their 40s and 50s, she might continue to grow by taking in-depth master classes on related topics, such as digitization.

Relevant skills have become currency in the workplace. Using the M-profile as a guide and achieving mastery in a few topics will set professionals apart. Organizations, for their part, can support workers in their development by offering stipends for coursework and suggesting master classes and professional development sessions.

Many researchers have suggested that learning takes place only when people stretch outside their comfort zone. 10 Andy Molinsky, “If you’re not outside your comfort zone, you won’t learn anything,” Harvard Business Review, July 29, 2016, hbr.org. When people work on tasks that aren’t entirely comfortable, they are said to be in their learning zone, where they acquire new knowledge and develop and practice new skills. 11 Andy Molinsky, “If you’re not outside your comfort zone, you won’t learn anything,”  Harvard Business Review,  July 29, 2016, hbr.org.

The learning zone exposes people to risk and stress, which can either be helpful or detrimental to their efforts. According to the Yerkes–Dodson Law, a curvilinear relationship exists between an increase of stress (which they term “arousal”) and the enhancement of performance (Exhibit 4). 12 John D. Dodson and Robert M. Yerkes, “The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation,” Journal of Comparative Neurology, November 1908, Volume 18, Number 5, pp. 459–82, doi.org/10.1002/cne.920180503. When people first encounter a new task, they experience “good” stress, leading to a higher level of performance. However, too much stress can cause anxiety (“bad” stress) and have a negative impact on performance. So, while it’s important for people to stretch outside their comfort zone, it’s critical to choose the right tasks and the right pace.

The personal growth and stretching that individuals experience from continued exposure to the learning zone typically follows a standard progression represented as an S-curve. 13 Whitney Johnson, “Throw your life a curve,” Harvard Business Review, September 3, 2012, hbr.org. Developed in the 1960s, the S-curve shows how, why, and at what rate ideas and products spread throughout societies. 14 Whitney Johnson, “Throw your life a curve,”  Harvard Business Review,  September 3, 2012, hbr.org.

When people try something new, such as starting a new job, they are at the beginning of a new S-curve. They experience a steep learning curve in which their knowledge and skills increase rapidly. During this first stage of the S-curve, their progress and the business impact of their performance are limited. After a time, they reach an inflection point where their understanding, competence, and confidence suddenly accelerate very quickly, and they have an increasing impact on the business.

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Continuing in the role for a bit longer, they will reach the upper, flat part of the S-curve. At this stage, the excitement of the new role has worn off, personal learning and development have stalled, tasks and activities have become automatic, boredom has kicked in, and their impact on the business has slowed down significantly.

If people stay in their comfort zone—not seeking out new challenges or new roles—their performance may suffer, and they might even be replaced. Lifelong learners, however, can avoid this pitfall and find new ways to stretch by starting a new S-curve. And organizations can help keep employees on track by providing learning and stretching opportunities at timed intervals.

4. Build a personal brand

Everyone has a professional brand, whether it’s a carefully crafted expression of who they want to be or simply the impression they make on others. A brand communicates a person’s value and provides a focus for personal learning and development. A brand that defines a person’s best elements and differentiates him is essential in achieving career goals—and in demonstrating his accomplishments, both to potential employers and current colleagues. When colleagues understand who a person is and what unique capabilities they bring to the table, that person is more likely to receive interesting new assignments or be considered first for new positions.

Key elements of a personal brand include authenticity, a clear value proposition, a story, expertise, consistency, visibility, and connections. In Leadership Brand: Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value, Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood suggest individuals can build a brand by setting clear goals for the year ahead, acknowledging what they want to be known for, being clear about their identity, and writing and testing a personal brand statement.

Once individuals craft their brand statement, they can use social media tools to help convey that brand and their skill set. For example, it’s possible to earn digital badges for a LinkedIn profile through online learning vendors such as Coursera, edX, Lynda.com, and Udemy. Such badges demonstrate not only a person’s skills but also their commitment to continued growth.

A personal brand is not static—it should evolve over the course of a career. Since most people develop new skills and play different professional roles, they will need to rebrand themselves multiple times. Lifelong learners use the process of building a brand to think through what skills they have and which ones they should develop to make themselves more marketable—both within the company and beyond. L&D professionals can counsel people in this process and provide a way for them to develop the necessary skills.

5. Own your development

Lifelong employment no longer exists, so people today expect to work for many organizations throughout their careers—and maybe even for themselves at times. To maintain forward motion in an environment that lacks continuity, people need to own their development and take charge of their learning through the following actions (Exhibit 5).

Create and execute learning goals. To become and stay successful, people need to ask themselves, “How can I ensure that I’m more valuable at the end of a year than I was at the beginning?” Individuals can create learning goals by assessing their current knowledge and expertise and identifying competency gaps. They should also plan to pursue the most important learning goals relentlessly, a trait that can become a competitive advantage.

Measure progress. People should periodically reflect and assess their progress. Learning journals or logs in which people can track what they learn have proved to be extremely valuable.

Work with mentors and seek feedback. Lifelong learners can forge a relationship with a mentor by letting different stakeholders know that they are open to feedback and by setting up formal check-ins to review their work and collect feedback. Feedback from supervisors, peers, direct reports, customers, and clients is a critical component of professional development.

Make personal investments. The level of learning required for individuals who want to retain a market-relevant skill set exceeds the amount of formal and informal learning hours that most organizations offer their employees. Therefore, people need to make more personal time and financial investments in their growth and development.

The following questions can help guide people as they endeavor to own their development 15 Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, Immunity to change: How to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your organization, first edition, Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2009. :

• What is one thing you are working on that will require that you grow to accomplish it?
• How are you working on it?
• Who else knows and cares about it?
• Why does this matter to you?

6. Do what you love

Most people are in the workforce for 40 to 50 years, and they spend a lot of their waking hours at work. As such, work has a huge impact on a person’s health and well-being, so it’s imperative that people do what they love.

Elevating Learning & Development: Insights and Practical Guidance from the Field

A sense of purpose is essential for a well-lived life. In Japan, the term ikigai means “reason for being,” and it encompasses all elements of life—including career, hobbies, relationships, and spirituality. The discovery of one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and imbues life with meaning. 16 Gordon Mathews, What Makes Life Worth Living?: How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Worlds, first edition, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1996. A study of more than 43,000 Japanese adults showed that the risk of mortality was significantly higher among subjects who did not find a sense of ikigai than among those who did. 17 Toshimasa Sone et al., “Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan: Ohsaki study,” Psychosomatic Medicine, August 2008, Volume 70, Number 6, pp. 709–15, doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e31817e7e64.

To find ikigai, start by answering four questions (Exhibit 6) 18 Alyjuma, “Ikigai: The reason you get up in the morning,” blog entry by Aly Juma, alyjuma.com. :

• What do you love?
• What does the world need?
• What can you be paid for?
• What are you good at?

Ikigai lives at the intersection of these questions. Of course, everyone’s journey of discovery will be different. What’s more, the meaning of work depends on how we view our work—our motivation as well as the objective of the work. There are there common different ways to look at the meaning of work (Exhibit 7).

Although organizations have a great responsibility to provide a context for meaning, individuals can do much to create a calling for themselves.

Exploring career purpose, meaning, and passion is not easy. It takes intentional reflection and planning. Individuals can also seek guidance from a career counselor or explore life design. Life design is a concept emerging from career choice and development theories as a method to help people explore and develop their identity and deliberately design a life that will give them meaning. 19 Mark L. Savickas et al., “Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the 21st century,” Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2009, Volume 75, Number 3, pp. 239–50, doi. org.

Today, academic institutions are also helping set people up to craft a life they can love. For example, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans created a popular “Designing Your Life” program at Stanford University. Intended for juniors and seniors looking for career guidance, the course teaches learners to apply design principles to life and career planning. Participants learn about five mind-sets: be curious, try stuff, reframe the problem, know it’s a process, and ask for help. They learn about a range of different tools, from design thinking and a daily gratitude journal to decks of cards featuring problem-solving techniques and life-design interviews. Instead of taking a final exam, learners present three radically different five-year “odyssey” plans to their peers. Alumni of the program report that they repeatedly refer back to the tools and their odyssey plans as they evaluate and redesign their lives. Burnett and Evans have made their philosophy and tools available to everyone in their book, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. 20 Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life, first edition, New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.

7. Stay vital

The ability to stay vital can contribute significantly to a person’s development. This goal demands that individuals make health and well-being a priority—paying attention to exercise, nutrition, sleep, and relaxation (for example, mindfulness and yoga) and developing good, sustainable habits. The impact of such personal care and self-nurturing can be far-reaching: sufficient sleep has a huge impact on our ability to acquire, retain, and retrieve knowledge. Sleep also affects attention and concentration, creativity, development of insight, pattern recognition, decision-making, emotional reactivity, socioemotional processing, development of trusted relationships, and more. 21 Nick van Dam and Els van der Helm, “ The organizational cost of insufficient sleep ,” McKinsey Quarterly, February 2016.

Longevity in the workforce requires reinvention and growth. A reservoir of energy to support this hard work will help set individuals on the path to lifelong learning and provide the resilience needed to sustain these efforts.

While current circumstances demand that workers today be lifelong learners, many education systems and organizations are not set up to support this kind of learning. Individuals, then, must take responsibility for their continued development and growth. These seven elements can serve as a guide to those who wish to stay relevant and grow into new and different roles throughout their career.

For a free survey on lifelong learning, go to www.reachingyourpotential.org .

A version of this chapter was published in Nick van Dam, Learn or Lose , Breukelen, Netherlands: Nyenrode Publishing, November 2016. It is also included in Elevating Learning & Development: Insights and Practical Guidance from the Field , August 2018.

Jacqueline Brassey is director of Enduring Priorities Learning in McKinsey’s Amsterdam office, where Nick van Dam is an alumnus and senior adviser to the firm as well as professor and chief of the IE University (Madrid) Center for Learning Innovation;  Katie Coates is a senior learning manager in the Philadelphia office.

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Lifelong Learning

Ivan Andreev

Demand Generation & Capture Strategist, Valamis

February 17, 2022 · updated April 3, 2024

8 minute read

What is lifelong learning?

Importance of lifelong learning, examples of lifelong learning, benefits of lifelong learning, organizational lifelong learning, how to adopt lifelong learning in your life.

Lifelong learning does not necessarily have to restrict itself to informal learning, however. It is best described as being voluntary with the purpose of achieving personal fulfillment. The means to achieve this could result in informal or formal education.

Whether pursuing personal interests and passions or chasing professional ambitions, lifelong learning can help us to achieve personal fulfillment and satisfaction.

It recognizes that humans have a natural drive to explore, learn and grow and encourages us to improve our own quality of life and sense of self-worth by paying attention to the ideas and goals that inspire us.

We’re all lifelong learners

But what does personal fulfillment mean?

The reality is that most of us have goals or interests outside of our formal schooling and jobs. This is part of what it means to be human: we have a natural curiosity and we are natural learners. We develop and grow thanks to our ability to learn.

Lifelong learning recognizes that not all of our learning comes from a classroom.

• For example, in childhood, we learn to talk or ride a bike.
• As an adult, we learn how to use a smartphone or learn how to cook a new dish.

These are examples of the everyday lifelong learning we engage in on a daily basis, either through socialization, trial and error, or self-initiated study.

Personal fulfillment and development refer to natural interests, curiosity, and motivations that lead us to learn new things. We learn for ourselves, not for someone else.

Key checklist for lifelong learning:

• Self-motivated or self-initiated
• Doesn’t always require a cost
• Often informal
• Self-taught or instruction that is sought
• Motivation is out of personal interest or personal development

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Here are some of the types of lifelong learning initiatives that you can engage in:

• Developing a new skill (eg. sewing, cooking, programming, public speaking, etc)
• Self-taught study (eg. learning a new language, researching a topic of interest, subscribing to a podcast, etc)
• Learning a new sport or activity (eg. Joining martial arts, learning to ski, learning to exercise, etc)
• Learning to use a new technology (smart devices, new software applications, etc)
• Acquiring new knowledge (taking a self-interest course via online education or classroom-based course)

Incorporating lifelong learning in your life can offer many long-term benefits, including:

1. Renewed self-motivation

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut doing things simply because we have to do them, like going to work or cleaning the house.

Figuring out what inspires you puts you back in the driver’s seat and is a reminder that you can really do things in life that you want to do.

2. Recognition of personal interests and goals

Re-igniting what makes you tick as a person reduces boredom, makes life more interesting, and can even open future opportunities.

You never know where your interests will lead you if you focus on them.

3. Improvement in other personal and professional skills

While we’re busy learning a new skill or acquiring new knowledge, we’re also building other valuable skills that can help us in our personal and professional lives.

This is because we utilize other skills in order to learn something new. For example, learning to sew requires problem-solving. Learning to draw involves developing creativity.

Skill development can include interpersonal skills, creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, reflection, adaptability and much more.

4. Improved self-confidence

Becoming more knowledgeable or skilled in something can increase our self-confidence in both our personal and professional lives.

• In our personal lives, this confidence can stem from the satisfaction of devoting time and effort to learning and improving, giving us a sense of accomplishment.
• In our professional lives, this self-confidence can be the feeling of trust we have in our knowledge and the ability to apply what we’ve learned.

Sometimes lifelong learning is used to describe a type of behavior that employers are seeking within the organization. Employers are recognizing that formal education credentials are not the only way to recognize and develop talent and that lifelong learning may be the desired trait.

Thanks to the fast pace of today’s knowledge economy, organizations are seeing lifelong learning as a core component in employee development . The idea is that employees should engage in constant personal learning in order to be adaptable and flexible for the organization to stay competitive and relevant.

This type of personal learning is often referred to as continuous learning. You can read more about continuous learning and what it means for both the employee and employer here.

According to some researchers, however, there is criticism that organizations are leveraging the concept of lifelong learning in order to place the responsibility of learning on employees instead of offering the resources, support and training needed to foster this kind of workforce.

Do I need to be proactive about lifelong learning?

Most people will learn something new at some point in their daily routine just by talking with other people, browsing the internet based on personal interest, reading the newspaper, or engaging in personal interest.

However, if making more effort to learn something new is important for either personal, family, or career reasons, or there is a need for a more organized structure, then here are some steps to get started.

1. Recognize your own personal interests and goals

Lifelong learning is about you, not other people and what they want.

Reflect on what you’re passionate about and what you envision for your own future.

If progressing your career is your personal interest, then there are ways to participate in self-directed learning to accomplish this goal.

If learning history is your passion, there are likewise ways to explore this interest further.

2. Make a list of what you would like to learn or be able to do

Once you’ve identified what motivates you, explore what it is about that particular interest or goal that you want to achieve.

Returning to our example of someone having a passion for history, perhaps it is desired to simply expand knowledge on the history of Europe. Or perhaps the interest is so strong that going for a Ph.D. is a dream goal.

Both of these are different levels of interest that entail different ways of learning.

3. Identify how you would like to get involved and the resources available

Achieving our personal goals begins with figuring out how to get started.

Researching and reading about the interest and goal can help to formulate how to go about learning it.

With our history example: the person who wants to simply learn more about a particular historical time period could discover books in the library catalog, blogs, magazines and podcasts dedicated to the subject, or even museums and talks.

The individual who wanted to achieve A Ph.D. in history as a personal goal could research university programs that could be done part-time or online, as well as the steps one would need to take to reach the doctorate level.

4. Structure the learning goal into your life

Fitting a new learning goal into your busy life takes consideration and effort.

If you don’t make time and space for it, it won’t happen.

It can easily lead to discouragement or quitting the learning initiative altogether.

Plan out how the requirements of the new learning initiative can fit into your life or what you need to do to make it fit.

For example, if learning a new language is the learning goal, can you make time for one hour a day? Or does 15 minutes a day sound more realistic?

Understanding the time and space you can devote to the learning goal can help you to stick with the goal in the long-run.

5. Make a commitment

Committing to your decision to engage in a new learning initiative is the final and most important step.

If you’ve set realistic expectations and have the self-motivation to see it through, commit to it and avoid making excuses.

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Lifelong Learning Attracts Older Adults for Personal Growth and Cognitive Health

by Brittne Kakulla, AARP Research , March 2022

Read the Detailed Findings

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Driven to seek personal growth, 55% of Americans age 45 and older are actively learning new things, according to a recent AARP study on lifelong learning. 

Studying the detailed complexities of history. Playing a musical instrument. Kneading dough while delving into the science of breadmaking. Attempting to keep pace with technology breakthroughs. These passion projects and individual interests are just a few of the pursuits lifelong learners take to stay mentally sharp and intellectually stimulated as they age.

The study asked participants to reflect on personal definitions, experiences, motivations, and pitfalls with learning driven by personal gain and self-betterment as opposed to work and career advancement, and it found a wide range in areas of interest. The most popular were history, food and drink, mental health, basic technology, and diet and nutrition.

While 42% of adults 45 and older identify as a “lifelong learner” many more say they intend  to engage in learning as they age, the study found. If those who indicate they would engage in lifelong learning in the future were to do so, the lifelong learning market would equate to more than 92 million people spending an estimated $6.9 billion annually. 

Investing in Learning 

The market size related to lifelong learning is substantial, already representing $5.6 billion annually. That equates to each lifelong learner currently spending an average of $75 a year on their interests.

In the popular field of learning a new technology, with a potential 43.3 million adults 45 and older interested, the average person is likely to spend about $60 annually. Other areas of interest have people willing to spend even more, including $120 a year on learning a new sport or physical activity, and $100 annually on developing a new skill or pursuing a passion project. 

Independent and Self-Directed

Learning is personal, the study revealed. Three quarters (76%) learn best by reading on their own, and the majority (71%) choose to read or gather information by themselves, then find opportunities to apply their new knowledge. 

Still, 72% turn to the internet, and YouTube in particular, when seeking new information. This is especially true when seeking information on a new technology (66%) or developing a new skill (63%). Because the research was conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings reflect the recent growth in online engagement including things like video conferencing, the researchers noted.

Engagement in learning is particularly high among those with passion projects and those interested in new technology. 

Cognitive Health: Staying Sharp

As people seek education, the primary drivers are to gain new knowledge and stay mentally sharp. Learners are driven less often by social pressure, and both men and women saw learning as part of controlling their personal well-being, with the vast majority (83%) believing it is vitally important to keep your brain active. Similarly, 54% are motivated to stay sharp or promote brain health.

This concept of cognitive health fuels many to already identify as a lifelong learner, but it also motivates others to express a desire to learn something new in the future. 

Yet there are significant engagement gaps between being interested in learning something and currently pursuing new knowledge. For instance, while 41% are interested in learning basic technology skills, only a quarter of people are actively learning those skills. Similar engagement discrepancies are found among those with the most popular interests. But an engagement gap exists even among those with the least popular interest areas. For instance, only half of the 20% who said they wanted to play a sport actually do. 

The study found some gender differences between women and men, with women having more and varied interests than their male peers. Still, engagement gaps between a desire to learn and actively learning are high among both men and women, with more than two-thirds of men (68%) and women (69%) planning to engage in lifelong learning in the future. Learning a new technology is the top area of interest for nonlearners, with 32% saying they plan to take on that endeavor.

For those who are currently engaged in learning, the likelihood they will continue as lifelong learners is high. This momentum to learn more is significant, with 97% of current learners intending to pursue learning in the future. 

Barriers: Cost, Time, and Ageism 

While intentions for staying mentally engaged in new challenges are high, there are potential pitfalls. Ageism, cost, and time constraints are the primary barriers. A quarter of people (26%) cite cost as preventing them from taking on learning objectives, yet income does not make a difference in engaging with learning as those with high and low income are engaging in learning at about the same rate. 

A lack of time is of particular concern among adults ages 45–49, who say family duties are taking precedent. Among those 60 and older, however, fear of ageism becomes a factor, with 16% saying their age makes them feel uncomfortable. This internalized ageism results in viewing themselves as being too old, and it can impact attitudes toward learning new things. 

Experiencing ageism from others is also an obstacle for some, with 7% saying others make them feel uncomfortable about their age. Active learners are more likely to name fear of ageism as a barrier than those not currently engaged in learning (18% vs. 13%).

Methodology

The online survey of 1,516 Americans age 45 and older was conducted September 24–October 4, 2021 for AARP by Research Strategy Group, using the Dynata online panel. The data were weighted by age, region, and ethnicity to reflect the U.S. 45+ population. 

For more information, please contact Brittne Kakulla at [email protected] . For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at [email protected] .

Suggested citation:

Kakulla, Brittne. Lifelong Learning Among 45+ Adults. Washington, DC: AARP Research, March 2022.  https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00526.001

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Education Leadership , Leadership Blogs

Motivation is the Key to Lifelong Learning 

Dr. Conrad Hughes, Education Advisory Board Member

Published: May 4, 2024

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears,” the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said. How true! 

We are quick to identify the teacher as the single most important factor in learning, and this makes sense (and is backed by research), but how good can a teacher be, or be expected to be, if the student is not motivated to learn in the first place? Of course, a truly remarkable teacher will be able to turn a student around completely, taking them from disinterested to engaged, bored to curious, and apathetic to passionate, but these are rare cases and require exceptional circumstances and specific chemistry between the learner and the teacher. 

If examination results are bad, or grade averages are low, if attainment falls by the wayside, will administrators get away by telling their boards that the students didn’t do any work, that they didn’t study hard enough? Probably not. And wanting to blame students, or teachers for that matter, for underperformance is not a very productive way of going about the analysis of achievement. 

And yet, a truism remains and sometimes we need to be reminded of it. If you are genuinely motivated to learn something, you will learn it. When we want to find out something or appropriate some new skill, learn how to cook a meal or repair a bicycle tyre, we go online and learn about it through a tutorial. That’s how most people learn low-level procedural knowledge today. If there’s a real appetite to know something, all that is necessary is the source material to access the knowledge. 

The point is important when we turn inwards and ask what motivates us, what we want to achieve, where we really want to go and why. This is where inner resources, lifelong learning, and motivation become the most important drivers. It is also why education is not just the transmission of knowledge but the activation of the necessary self-awareness and intrinsic motivation to learn, and to carry on learning after school. 

Students at University of the People choose to learn online with us because they are lifelong learners—because they want to break out of their present situations to new planes of thought and opportunity through education. This is an extremely powerful vector that propels learning to great heights. 

So next time you find yourself bored by someone or not engaged, reflect on the part you must play in that exchange, that it cannot just come from the emission of knowledge or skills but has a lot to do with your own readiness to learn, your own attitude, your own motivation. 

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Lifelong learning is the new degree: how universities can adapt to the evolving demand.

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Elise Awwad is president and CEO of DeVry University .

Throughout my 20 years in higher education, I’ve witnessed firsthand the evolving dynamics and growing emphasis on lifelong learning. The acceleration of technological advancements, the rapid change in nearly every industry, and the shifting nature of work itself are key factors driving the increased interest in continuing education. Traditional degrees, while still highly valuable, no longer serve as the sole ticket to career success or fulfillment. Instead, they mark the start of a continuous learning journey.

The digital revolution has democratized access to information, making learning more accessible and affordable. The rise of online platforms and micro-credentialing has enabled individuals to update their skills in real time, catering to the immediate needs of their professions. Additionally, the changing job market, with its emphasis on digital literacy, critical thinking and adaptability, demands a workforce that is not just qualified but also continuously progressing.

To meet the needs of nontraditional students, colleges and universities must go beyond traditional degree programs to offer alternative, flexible learning opportunities that cater to a diverse range of learners, including working professionals, adults looking to reskill or upskill and traditional students preparing for a complex future. Here’s how higher education institutions can strengthen their efforts and adapt to the growing demand for lifelong learning.

Accommodate lifelong learning for nontraditional adult learners.

Instructure’s State of Student Success and Engagement in Higher Education report revealed 61% of students would pursue a skills-based learning opportunity to advance their careers. To effectively deliver lifelong learning opportunities, higher education institutions must adopt flexible and accessible learning models that allow for community and engagement. This involves offering modular, stackable learning opportunities that allow learners to build upon their education as their careers progress and interests evolve. It also means leveraging technology to provide learning options that fit the schedules of nontraditional adult learners, who often juggle professional and personal responsibilities.

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The approach should also encompass personalized learning paths that recognize and appreciate prior learning and work experiences, allowing for accelerated progress toward new qualifications. Further, institutions must foster partnerships with industries to ensure that curricula and course content remain relevant and aligned with current and future job market needs. This type of partnership and collaboration can also open opportunities for experiential learning, internships, apprenticeships and mentorship programs that enrich the educational experience and prepare students for real-life work situations.

Implement a holistic strategy.

I think a comprehensive strategy is important when thinking about lifelong learning programs and promises within higher ed. At the core, it is important to integrate lifelong learning principles within an institution’s curriculum. This involves creating integrated courses that not only stand alone for immediate skill acquisition but also build toward more comprehensive certifications and degrees (think stackable blocks—each block is valuable and always able to be built upon in the future).

Flexibility is and will continue to be a table-stakes need when thinking about lifelong access to learning. Students should be able to engage in learning pathways that adapt to their changing career goals and life circumstances. These two components together encourage ongoing education beyond initial degrees or certifications.

Strong partnerships help identify emerging skill needs and integrate real-world examples into the coursework. By doing so, we increase relevance of curriculum, and this offers learners hands-on experience, bridging the gap between education and employment.

Also, developing and enhancing online platforms that offer personalized learning experiences is necessary for reaching all audiences—serving them the way they choose to be served. These types of tech-enabled platforms can also help with the use of data analytics to recommend courses, track progress and identify skills gaps. By offering a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities, institutions can accommodate the varied schedules of all learners while supporting adult learners—it’s the concept of anytime, anywhere accessibility.

Capture demand.

The best way for universities to understand and capture the increasing demand for lifelong learning is to use data analytics to understand the needs and preferences of learners, allowing for continuous improvement and customization of offerings. Most of all, institutions should:

• Enhance awareness and value perception by communicating the benefits. Clearly articulate the personal and professional benefits of lifelong learning, such as career advancement and skill development.

• Engage alumni as lifelong learners through relevant programs and affordable pathways, fostering a culture of continuous learning among graduates.

• Share success stories of lifelong learners who have achieved milestones or improved their careers and have demonstrated tangible outcomes based on their continuing education efforts.

• Offer courses and programs that are flexible in terms of timing, duration and delivery mode to accommodate the diverse schedules and commitments of adult learners. Allow learners to customize their educational pathways, selecting courses and programs that align with their interests, ambitions and goals. And design programs and courses that are relevant to current and future job markets to ensure that learning contributes to employability and career advancement.

• Utilize the latest technologies and educational tools to enhance the learning experience, making it more engaging, interactive and effective. This is an audience that requires flexibility but will also look for engaging and practical education.

The challenges contributing to a lack of focus and implementation of lifelong learning in higher education institutions are somewhat complex, stemming from institutional, systemic and likely societal factors. To address these challenges, you must first understand their roots to better propose real solutions. It’s about truly understanding the problems first before trying to solve them.

There is a cultural expectation in many societies that education is a phase that ends with a degree and is terminal in nature rather than an ongoing process. This belief can stifle lifelong learning and make institutions less likely to prioritize it. However, higher education must be agile, student-centered and forward-thinking, aligning closely with the evolving needs of the global economy and society at large.

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