Many Canadians are on a lifelong learning journey — whether they regularly attend a webinar series on a topic of interest or are learning how to build their own website.
In the workplace, continuously learning and developing new skills takes on special meaning as teams grapple with changing roles and increasing digitalization. For employers, taking steps to support lifelong learning is a positive for your employees' professional and personal growth and their relationship with your business.
What does lifelong learning look like?
Lifelong learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills. While this often happens in a professional context, from taking courses to mastering the latest technology in your sector, it is not limited to the workplace.
As the Ontario 360 project and the University of Toronto explain, lifelong learning usually takes three forms: formal education or training working towards a credential, a semi-formal approach that may or may not lead to a credential or informal learning through work and life.
These can be work-led or self-directed and can be delivered in-person or virtually.
Benefits of lifelong learning for employees
For workers, learning and developing skills throughout a career span from the professional to the individual realms has its benefits including:
Upskilling/reskilling for the future of work
Continuing education allows employees to develop new skills to meet the demands of the workplace in a changing world. As a recent Future Skills Centre report notes, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace of workplace digitalization in Canada, increasing demand for advanced digital skills like data analysis and cloud technology.
The report claims that committing to further tech education is essential for career advancement and can help workers “future proof,” adapt, and succeed.
Personal fulfilment
Continuous learning has benefits for employees that extend beyond acquiring new on-the-job technology or management skills. The Corporate Finance Institute notes that some workers find a renewed passion for their work from lifelong learning and strengthen soft skills like problem-solving and creativity. Learning a new skill can also boost confidence and may improve memory and cognitive function.
How to support lifelong learning in your workforce
While lifelong learners gain several career and personal benefits from participating in further education, they also place a lot of value on employers supporting their learning journey.
According to an Athabasca University survey, 60% of Canadians said they would leave their job for another employer who offered better learning opportunities. In an upcoming Indeed survey, we found that 58% of respondents would take a less competitive salary for opportunities to learn and develop their skills and careers within the organization.1
“There’s obviously this thirst for ongoing professional development and it’s seen as an incredibly strong component of an employee value proposition,” Neil Fassina, former president of Athabasca University told Canadian HR Reporter.
Here are a few ways employers can play a crucial role in supporting the learning process:
Consider how employees want to learn
While nearly 90% of respondents in the Athabasca survey noted that they are lifelong learners, the majority say they want to remain employed rather than quit to pursue higher learning.
According to a report by The Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy, demanding careers have also created fewer opportunities for employees to engage in learning. For employers, it is worth considering how to provide opportunities for employees to learn that work with their individual learning style and work schedule.
Making education more accessible for all employees means leveraging technology through informal learning. As the Pearson report suggests, more of the workforce would be able to participate if:
- Online material is asynchronous.
- Material is taught at different difficulty levels so everyone can learn at their own pace.
- Hybrid and digital models of instruction are offered.
Look beyond traditional options
As the work environment evolves towards increasing digitalization, so too do options for learning, away from traditional modules delivered solely in person or online.
As Ontario 360 explains, among working-age learners, there is demand for new forms of short-duration micro-credential programs, such as massive open online courses and digital badges, for example.
With learning methods advancing and new trends, such as micro-learning, taking hold, it is worth exploring whether a different learning style can deliver employees a better educational experience, for some material.
Integrate it into your culture
Providing opportunities for employees to learn ensures they have the technical and soft skills needed to thrive in the workplace and can help create a positive employee experience.
As AON explains, when companies create a culture of continuous learning, employees may feel supported, which can encourage professional wellbeing. In fact, 94% of employees say they would stay at their company longer if it invested in their learning and development.
When it comes to solving digital skills gaps, says the Future Skills Centre, workplace training and upskilling are crucial. Employers should give workers the time, space, and motivation to develop their skills continuously.
According to the Harvard Business Review, one option is to embed learning into everyday workflow by sharing content in-house, creating a dedicated online space for learning or adding a chatbot onto workflow software.
For employees and top talent, lifelong learning is a must to gain the skills they need to be competitive for the future of work, for their personal fulfilment, meeting goals and igniting their creativity.
By integrating it into company culture, creating a workplace environment that supports education in all forms can help encourage wellbeing and confidence among your team — and position your company as a place where employees and top talent want to work, learn and grow.
- YouGov on behalf of Indeed, Canada, “Quality Hiring,” n=1,003
