The rapid changes taking place in the workplace change the skills demand, thus promoting the importance of lifelong learning.

What is lifelong learning?
It is a continuous development of knowledge and skills that is focused on personal or professional development.

Importance of lifelong learning?
The professional industry is constantly expanding, with industries and professions growing at a rapid pace. Job descriptions evolve, and skill sets that were formerly required for a certain job may no longer be sufficient.
Lifelong learning can help bridge the skills gap between what students have conventionally learned in formal schooling and what businesses and the job sector requires.

Benefits of lifelong learning:

• Renewed self-motivation
  Having an ambition for your profession might make you feel more confident in your capabilities. If you’ve lost interest in what you’re doing, learning something new might rekindle your spirit and help you feel motivated again.
• Enhances adaptability
  Learners will actively need to keep up with the latest skills and software. Instilling a mindset of lifelong learning will equip learners to respond rapidly to emerging technology. It will boost their confidence in learning new skills.
• Helps discover new interests
  Learning new skills can lead to new opportunities and challenges. Learners may acquire an interest in a subject that they have never considered before. Continuous learning fosters creativity and innovation by allowing learners to use their knowledge and expertise in relevant ways.

Adopting lifelong learning:

1. Identify personal interests and aims.
2. List the skills you want to acquire.
3. Schedule a time regularly to devote on your career objectives.

As the saying goes, learning is a never-ending process. Continuous learning can be pursued for personal or professional reasons, depending on the aspirations and goals of the learner. More than earning a degree, lifelong learning is about enriching one’s life.