Here's why you shouldn't stop learning

The increased pace of globalization and technological advance, the changing nature of work and the labour market, and the ageing of population are among the forces propelling the need for continuing upgrading of work and life skills.

Lifelong learning is the building up of skills, knowledge and experiences throughout a person’s life to keep pace with the changes and dynamics of society and the economy. It ensures that a person’s skills and knowledge remain relevant and useful at any stage of his life.

It appears that formal education – with its hierarchically structured system running from primary school through the university – no longer guarantees life-time employments in the past.

Job skillsets need to be upgraded regularly to ensure their relevance and practical benefits in the new global knowledge economy.

Some of the competencies a society demands - teamwork, problem solving, motivation for lifelong learning - cannot be entirely acquired in a learning setting where teachers simply dictate facts to learners for them to absorb and remember.

Community-based adult education, as part and parcel of the lifelong learning movement, is a process whereby community members identify their own problems and needs. This method enables learners to seek solutions among themselves, mobilize the necessary resources and execute a plan of action to sharpen their learning process and speed up acquisition of knowledge.

With the rising complexity of global businesses today, continuous training and knowledge enhancement is key to staying competitive for companies. And it is also vital for industry practitioners/professionals to stay relevant in the business.

All stakeholders in the community, the education enterprise and the government must share the vision and commitment to make the necessary paradigm shift to prepare for our people and businesses for the future. Practical lifelong learning should be made a key cornerstone of our national manpower development strategy.

Paul Lim, Founder and President, Supply Chain Asia