Why we all need to be Lifelong Learners

Lifelong learning is the concept that you continue to learn new skills, knowledge and expertise throughout life. It is the idea that education does not end when you leave school or university but rather, in this ever changing world of work, you are frequently updating skills, knowledge and qualifications, just to keep in the knowledge of the job that you are employed to do. Everyone in employment should be willing to learn throughout their time in work because:

Lifelong learning keeps you employable

As the needs of society change, particularly through technological advances, the needs of employers change and employees need to develop new skills to meet these changes. This may mean retraining, adapting skills or learning about new technologies to suit the demands of the job. Employees need to be constantly evolving and learning new skills because this keeps them employable in the workplace.

Lifelong learning helps employees to meet the demands of the ever changing employment market

Because of the fast pace of technology, people's duties and responsibilities have changed, in the world of work, even though the job title has remained the same. Lifelong learning affords employees opportunities that allows them to develop new skills and therefore meet the needs and demands of an ever-changing employment market.

Employers expect their workforce to be lifelong learners

To keep competitive in the world of work, employers expect that their employees will be lifelong learners. They want their employees to continue to learn, improve, develop and adapt existing skills as their business needs change. Employers needs their employees to be highly skilled and qualified so that they can provide better services for the customer and remain competitive in business.

Lifelong learning is good for employees

Lifelong learning keeps the employee motivated and interested in the job that they do. It brings greater job satisfaction as self-esteem is raised, self-confidence in skills and knowledge increases and the employee feels a greater sense of loyalty to their job.

Lifelong learning can improve employee's chances of promotion and maybe a better salary

As employees retrain, they may acquire more qualifications and so when opportunities for a promotion arise the employee is in a better position to apply because they have become more knowledgeable with better understanding and new skills relevant for that position. This, in turn, can lead to the employee being awarded a better salary.