In this post, we explain what lifelong learning is and why it’s beneficial for both individuals and companies. We also share five actionable steps you can take to foster a lifelong learning culture in your organization.
The concept of lifelong learning first rose to popularity in the 1970s. And now, as technology advances and skills gaps emerge, it’s gaining momentum once again.
73% of adults call themselves lifelong learners, and employers are increasingly seeking to hire and develop employees who demonstrate a lifelong learning mindset.
But what exactly is lifelong learning and why is it so beneficial? How can organizations foster a lifelong learning culture?
What Is Lifelong Learning?
Lifelong learning describes voluntary, self-motivated, and continuous learning throughout one’s lifetime. It can be geared towards personal or professional growth, and it can take place in both formal and informal contexts.
The key distinguishing characteristic of lifelong learning is that it’s driven by the learner—it’s not compulsory but rather based on a personal desire to learn something new.
What Are Some Examples of Lifelong Learning?
Lifelong learning takes many different forms. It can be done through a formal course or certification, or it can happen organically through reading, researching, watching videos, and undertaking new hobbies or activities.
Some examples of lifelong learning include:
- Learning a new language. This could be through a formal course, a language learning app, conversing with a tandem partner, or simply living in another country.
- Mastering a new practical skill such as knitting, baking, programming, or playing guitar. You might teach yourself, watch YouTube videos, or follow a formal study program.
- Acquiring new knowledge on a topic of interest. For example, if you’re interested in psychology, you might regularly tune into a psychology podcast, watch documentaries, or read blogs and books.
- Learning a new technology, such as a new type of software or device.
- Learning a new sport. For example, you might join a tennis club, take skiing lessons, or buy yourself a skateboard and practice in your local park.
And that’s not an exhaustive list. Any self-driven pursuit of new knowledge or skills counts as lifelong learning.
The Benefits of Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning speaks to our natural curiosity as human beings. It broadens our horizons and equips us with new knowledge and skills. And because it’s self-motivated, it’s driven by our own personal goals and interests. As such, it can be incredibly fulfilling and provide a major boost to your confidence and self-worth. Here are the main benefits of lifelong learning.
1. Lifelong learning puts you (back) in touch with what interests and inspires you
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, doing things out of necessity rather than passion or curiosity. Lifelong learning (re)connects you with your interests, allowing you to explore things you’re passionate about and truly inspired by. Not only is this highly rewarding and enjoyable—it can also boost your motivation, which will spill over into other areas of your personal and professional life.
2. Continuously learning new things makes you highly adaptable
Lifelong learning isn’t just a practice—it’s also a mindset. As you learn new skills or explore different topics, you’ll have a much broader skill set and knowledge-base to offer—and you’ll become highly adaptable. The more you learn, the more open you’ll become to learning new things and adapting to new challenges. That in itself is an extremely valuable trait.
3. Lifelong learning is proven to boost brain health
Just as physical exercise boosts heart health, learning is like a workout for the brain. Lifelong learning has been proven to improve neuroplasticity—that is, the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, essentially remodeling itself in response to new experiences.
Neuroplasticity is crucial as it helps to strengthen the way the brain functions and enhance our existing cognitive abilities. As such, lifelong learning can boost your brain by improving memory, increasing mental flexibility and creativity, and even delaying the onset of dementia.
4. Lifelong learning builds confidence
With lifelong learning comes a sense of accomplishment. It also nurtures a belief in our ability to master new skills and navigate challenges. Over time, this helps to boost self-confidence, making it easier to step outside your comfort zone, try new things, and take on different tasks and projects. Again, this confidence will prove impactful in both your personal and professional life.
5. Continuous learning improves long-term employability
In the modern labor market, employees must continuously adapt and evolve their skill sets. Adopting a lifelong learning approach will equip you to confidently navigate the ever-changing world of work—and to show employers that you’re committed to growing and developing along with their organization. And with adaptability and a willingness to learn named as some of the most sought-after skills, lifelong learners will increasingly have a competitive edge in the job market.
Why You Should Make Lifelong Learning a Priority in Your Company
We’ve explored the personal benefits of lifelong learning. So what about organizations—how do they stand to benefit from not only hiring lifelong learners, but actively nurturing a continuous learning culture?
Ultimately, it boils down to two things:
- building teams who are equipped for the future of work, and
- keeping your employees motivated and engaged.
Lifelong learning is key to building a skilled, future-ready workforce
Many of the personal benefits of lifelong learning also translate into the workplace. We outlined how lifelong learning keeps people adaptable, boosts confidence, and enhances cognitive function—including improved mental flexibility and creativity.
As the world of work continues to evolve, these individual benefits make for change-ready employees who can continuously grow, adapt, and adopt. New technologies, trends, and ways of working will continue to disrupt and transform the workplace, so it’s essential that employees are able to keep up.
Employers who prioritize lifelong learning—both when recruiting new hires and nurturing their current employees—will find that, as a whole, the organization is much better equipped to grow, advance, respond to emerging skills gaps, and generally navigate change. All very important for maintaining a competitive edge!
Lifelong learning helps to keep employees motivated and engaged
Another major benefit of lifelong learning is the impact it has on employee motivation and engagement. Because it’s rooted in the individual’s own goals and interests, lifelong learning speaks to—and feeds—your employees’ natural curiosity and passions. This helps to motivate your employees and keep them engaged in the workplace, which is crucial for both performance and retention.
Employee experience (EX) and retention are two major focus areas for HR leaders in 2023 and beyond, and learning and development plays a key role in both. If you consider that 77% of workers are keen to learn new skills and that 94% are more likely to stay with an employer who invests in their learning and development, prioritizing lifelong learning is a big win for employees and employers alike.
This poses the question: How can employers prioritize and encourage lifelong learning at work?
5 Steps to Prioritize and Encourage Lifelong Learning at Work
1. Give your employees autonomy over what they learn and how
By definition, lifelong learning is voluntary, self-motivated, and driven by the individual’s personal interests. If you want to create a lifelong learning culture at work, it’s important to distinguish it from mandatory training. Give your employees autonomy over what they learn and how—firstly, by allowing them to choose their area(s) of study, and secondly, by offering variety and flexibility when it comes to accessing different learning materials and resources. Remember: Not all learning takes place via a formal course or qualification.
2. Encourage (and help) your employees to identify their personal interests and goals
Everybody has things that interest and motivate them, but not everybody will be able to immediately recognize or articulate them. Take the time to get to know your employees and help them identify what they’re passionate about. If you have regular one-to-one check-ins, use those as an opportunity to discuss learning and development—whether it’s working with your employees to devise unique development pathways or helping them set L&D goals. Lifelong learning should be self-motivated, but your employees may require some support in figuring out what motivates them in the first place.
3. Build personal development time into the working week
One of the greatest gifts you can give to lifelong learners is dedicated learning time. If you truly want to encourage personal development, empower your employees to take time out of their working week to learn. You may have a set day per week where everybody is encouraged to mute their notifications and focus solely on learning, or you might allocate a certain number of learning hours per week which people can use flexibly.
4. Leverage microlearning
Lifelong learning should be continuous, and there’s one major learning and development trend which can help with that: microlearning. Microlearning literally means ‘very small learning’ — named as such because it delivers learning content via bite-sized snippets which take just minutes to consume.
The goal of microlearning is to reduce the cognitive load on the learner, thus boosting retention, and to ensure that learning is accessible, manageable, and engaging. Microlearning is a great way to encourage continuous and regular learning which is driven by the individual.
5. Embrace and encourage failure
McKinsey identifies seven essential elements of a lifelong learning mindset, one of which they call ‘stretch.’ According to the stretch principle, people need to leave their comfort zone in order to venture into the learning zone.
As an employer, you can promote lifelong learning by encouraging your employees to take risks and stretch themselves. In doing so, it’s absolutely critical that you embrace failure. If your employees fear negative consequences, they’ll be reluctant to leave their comfort zones. However, if you frame failure as an opportunity for growth, you give your employees permission to make mistakes. And that’s when learning happens!
The Takeaway
Lifelong learning is essential for nurturing our natural curiosity as human beings and keeping our skill sets relevant and adaptable in the fast-paced world of work. For individuals, lifelong learning builds confidence, enhances cognitive ability, and helps to ensure long-term employability.
For employers, lifelong learning is key to building a diversely skilled workforce, boosting performance, and keeping employees motivated and engaged. Follow the steps we outlined in this post and see how a lifelong learning culture can transform your organization. Ready to learn more about implementing new learning & development into your company culture? Visit our website and discover why language learning is a great way for employees to become lifelong learners.
