Lifelong learning in education: Adapting education for career success

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• January 15, 2024

Insight highlights

The lifelong learning model allows students to choose education based on their immediate needs, promoting skill acquisition while working or transitioning between careers. Universities are adapting to offer more lifelong learning programs, such as flexible degree formats and alternative financial models. Lifelong learning has wide-ranging implications, including economic development, political engagement, extended workforce participation, digital literacy, upskilling initiatives, environmental responsibility, cultural preservation, and diversity promotion.

Lifelong learning in education context

The lifelong learning educational model allows students to choose their education or training based on their immediate needs rather than following a continuous four-year program. Individuals often seek to enhance their competitiveness through skill acquisition while working or transitioning between careers. Options for this model include enrolling in online courses for graduate certificates or degrees, participating in workshops or evening classes to gain specific competencies, exploring new fields through free massive open online courses (MOOCs), or pursuing self-guided learning through reading, online courses, or in-person seminars.

According to the International Association of Universities, comprising almost 400 higher education institutions (HEIs), approximately two-thirds of higher education institutions indicate that their lifelong learning policies are designed to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. About 61 percent of HEIs strongly affirm that promoting gender equality is among the primary objectives of their lifelong learning programs. Finally, the majority (74 percent) consider community engagement and social responsibility as the key motivating factors behind their participation in lifelong learning initiatives.

University systems are adapting to offer more lifelong learning programs. An example is the US state of Georgia, which launched its College 2025 program. This project involves developing flexible degree formats that use online, hybrid, competency-based, and face-to-face modalities; expanding entry points for admissions and course study; and establishing alternative financial models and policies to support new pricing structures.

Disruptive impact

There are several strategies on how HEIs can implement lifelong learning. The first is skills-based education, where institutions have the potential to provide short courses and micro-credentials that align with the competency standards set by major employers. This approach would offer flexibility and the opportunity for "stackable" non-degree education, which can contribute to a formal qualification if desired but is primarily driven by the specific needs of employers. By adopting this format, learners could swiftly adapt to evolving job requirements and seize new career opportunities.

Another strategy is for HEIs to transform their research publications into a content-consumer format. Instead of promoting their academic journals to other researchers and academics, they could translate these findings into actionable insights that anyone can read - from students to general readers. This strategy not only establishes an HEI as a thought leader but also as a community that exercises critical and forward thinking.

Universities have traditionally provided career advisory support for graduating students, but it is essential to continue and enhance this support in light of changing skills requirements and emerging career options. However, addressing the disruption of the university business model and promoting lifelong learning requires more than just expanding educational offerings. There needs to be a fundamental shift, moving away from a transactional approach to education and towards a focus on creating a deep community experience. 

Implications of lifelong learning in education

Wider implications of lifelong learning in education may include: 

• Economic development by equipping individuals with updated skills and knowledge, enabling them to adapt to changing job requirements and improve their employability. Lifelong learning can also lead to a more skilled and resilient workforce, and higher productivity.


• Policies that prioritize lifelong learning as a fundamental right, leading to a more educated and politically engaged citizenry.


• Providing opportunities for ongoing education and skill development to different demographics, especially those with disabilities and older adults, leading to extended workforce participation and productive aging. Lifelong learning can also support integrating diverse demographic groups, such as immigrants or refugees, into the educational system and workforce.


• The development of online platforms, digital resources, and learning management systems, promoting digital literacy among learners that can prepare them for the AI age.


• Universities aligning their educational offerings with the evolving needs of the labor market, which can facilitate upskilling and reskilling initiatives, enabling workers to adapt to technological advancements, industry shifts, and emerging job opportunities.


• A culture of environmental responsibility, encouraging sustainable lifestyles, green technologies, and ecological awareness among students and the wider community.


• The preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and indigenous practices. It can facilitate intergenerational learning, promote cultural diversity, and contribute to the protection of cultural identities.

Questions to consider

• If you’re a student, how is your school promoting lifelong learning?


• What are some ways that businesses and schools can partner to ensure that workers continuously upskill?